


Head over healing

by Lilypipo



Category: True Blood (TV)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-07-12 18:08:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16000562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilypipo/pseuds/Lilypipo
Summary: “Alright, Miss Beckendale, I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say we are truly happy you have accepted our offer.” The man in the white collar said from behind his large desk.“Thank you, sir. The pleasure is all mine.”With that, Keira’s future was sealed – or at least, for the next couple of years. But she knew, that if she were to be successful, this would change her life and hopefully those of others, too.--Keira Beckendale works to create medicine from V. In doing so she comes into contact with Eric Northman, the sponsor for her research. He is charmed by her, but can he protect her from the dangers that come from her research? And what of the secret Keira has kept hidden, could that alienate him forever?--ON HIATUS. I'm so sorry, RL got in the way and I'm now just not able to work on this fic any more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've only seen True Blood once, and only the first few seasons. I thought the characters were interesting, but I don't really know enough to stick to all the details of canon, so be warned ;) This takes place from when Sookie is gone after season 3, and deviates from canon from there. 
> 
> No beta, so any (spelling) mistakes are mine. Please let me know what you think, constructive criticism is welcome!
> 
> Disclaimer: no profit is being made from this story, all the rights to characters etc. of True Blood goes to the original owners.

“Alright, Miss Beckendale, I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say we are truly happy you have accepted our offer.” The man in the white collar said from behind his large desk.

“Thank you, sir. The pleasure is all mine.” 

With that, Keira’s future was sealed – or at least, for the next couple of years. But she knew, that if she were to be successful, this would change her life and hopefully those of others, too. 

She had passed the admission requirements for the pharmacy doctoral programme over the summer, and had been offered a chance do paid research the possibilities of vampire blood in medicine. She had written her master’s thesis at Stanford on the healing properties of vampire blood, theorising this could be optimised by genetic modification and combination with conventional medicine. This had attracted the attention of pharmaceutical company Pfizer, who offered her big bucks to put her theories into practice, and earn a PhD at the same time. 

The downside was that not everybody was happy with her research. Both vampire communities and religious groups had expressed their discontent on putting vampire blood in medicine, albeit for different reasons. That was why the research lab was moved to Shreveport two years ago: the local “vampire sheriff” had given permission to conduct the research in his area, and promised the company protection again angry vampires in his territory. She just had to hope he was good on his word, as the previous research lab in Seattle had been burned down one night. It was no wonder her job was a high paid one – not only was she the best in her field, the risk was considerable and there were not many other takers.

\--

The next Friday she drove into Shreveport in the late afternoon. She was only starting her job on Tuesday, as Monday was the Fourth of July, but wanted to familiarise herself with the town and look for an apartment. She checked into a quiet hotel at the edge of town and decided to drive into the centre of town for a bite to eat and some sightseeing. After a while she found the cutest Thai restaurant and sat down to order dinner. The owners were friendly, and gave several tips on agencies letting apartments. She wandered around some more and went back to the hotel shortly before sunset. 

Keira had heard plenty of stories about vampires targeting tourists especially, and wanted to take no chances. She figured it would be safe – or at least safer – to only go out later at night after she found an apartment and settled in the city some more. Once inside her room she saw she had missed a phone call from her dad just a couple of minutes ago. She rang him back immediately, and to her great surprise he picked up. 

“Hey daddy.”

_“Hello honey. How’s Shreveport?”_ She could hear tinkering and chatting in the background, and guessed he was still in his office.

“Very nice. Just stayed downtown to do some sightseeing today, I’ll start looking for an apartment tomorrow.”

_“Good. Oh, congratulations on your acceptance of the job. I’m really sorry I couldn’t make it to celebrate.”_

“Thanks. How are you?” She hadn’t even expected him to come.

_“Fine, busy with the merger. Oh, I have to go, have to make a speech. Bye honey!”_ And with that he hung up before she even had the chance to say goodbye. She could not help but feel a sting of disappointment, even though she knew not to expect any different. While she did not doubt her father loved her and her sister, he just never took the time to show it. Perhaps that was why she was so reluctant to start real life. What if she turned out like her father? Not that there was a large chance of that happening seeing as how she did not plan on having any kids, but still. 

She shook the thought away, and headed for the shower. 

\-- 

Tuesday she rose early, a little nervous for her first day of work. She changed outfits three times, before settling on black trousers with a cream blouse and black high heals. She had not managed to find an apartment over the weekend despite the helpful tips from several friendly locals. At a great barbeque party yesterday for the Fourth of July at the Thai place she had asked almost everybody there if they knew something – apparently there was a waiting list of half a year for most apartments, so it took her forty five minutes to get from the hotel to the research lab. 

Her employer, Dr. Michaelson – “call me André” – was kind and took his time showing her around the building. It was clear he was passionate about his job, and took pride in it. She liked that: a man who was not just here for the money but because he believed it was an area worth investigating in. She loved her new workplace, and look a liking to her co-workers, too. Keira was to share a lab with Dr. Hanny Carter, a petite microbiologist from San Fransisco, Dr. Aiguo Xi, a handsome pharmacist from Jiujiang, and André himself. They would be the team to experiment with vampire blood. 

“Of course, there are some specific regulations concerning the vampire blood.” André explained. “I do not have to tell you that dealing or using V is strictly prohibited, and that it is at all times prohibited to take the blood outside of the lab. This is because it is valuable and expensive, but also for your own safety. There have been incidents in the past where employees smuggled it out of the lab to sell, and the consequences were dire, both for our project as for the persons involved. Therefore we have a strict security policy: no bags in the lab, camera’s in every room and strict updating of the logs. Any violations of these rules will result in immediate termination of your contract and we will hand anybody caught doing V over to the proper authorities.” 

Keira swallowed and nodded. André saw her nervous look and smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s just a precautionary talk. I do think your research shows great potential, you’re going to fit right in. Do you have any other questions?”

She did, actually. “I was wondering how the lab acquired the vampire blood. I cannot imagine too many vampires are happy to part with theirs.” This had kept her busy ever since she had gotten the offer for the position. 

“Actually, they do. The vampire sheriff of this area has been very cooperative and provides us with vials of blood on a regular basis. That being said, if you don’t mind, he would like to meet you as part of the selection procedure, the last hurdle before we can fully accept you. He wants to ensure the safety of the vampire blood, and requires all staff to keep him up to date on their research. I hope this is not a problem?”

“That won’t be a problem.” Truth be told, she had expected as much. What vampire would just hand out their blood to anybody? This did not mean she wasn’t nervous about it. Even though she had done a years’ worth of theoretical research on vampire blood, she had never met one. While she had understood that the sheriff was interested in her project, she still preferred her interactions with vampires few and far in between. However, that was not going to stop her getting this position. 

“Good. In that case, I would like to take you to him tonight. He owns a nightclub. Maybe you’ve heard of it, it’s quite famous. Fangtasia?” She shook her head; this did not ring a bell. “Anyhow, he has asked to meet us there at ten, if that’s okay for you? It’s usually not too busy on Tuesday night, especially not after last night.” 

“Sure. Is there anything I should know about vampire protocol?” She really didn’t want to offend our blood donor and the one person who could prevent her getting this position. 

André smiled. “Don’t worry, Eric – Eric Northman, he’s the sheriff – has only been enthusiastic about this project. Just be yourself.” With that he took his leave and she spend the rest of the day getting to know her other two colleagues, who insisted she call them by first name as well, though Hanny had to be at least twenty years her senior. They seemed genuinely nice and gave her a bunch of tips on life in Shreveport, apartment hunting and perhaps most importantly, on dealing with vampires. 

“Just don’t overdo it on the perfume. Vampires have a stronger sense of smell and they generally don’t like the chemical odour of perfume.” Hanny advised. 

“And don’t eat red meat before meeting them. They’re weird on that, too, though I don’t want to know why.” Aiguo shuddered. 

“And most important of all, don’t wear silver. They could take offence.” Hanny added. Keira nodded, actually having thought of that herself.

At five o’clock they all went home – well, Keira went to the hotel – and she made sure to order a vegetarian meal: one could never be too careful. She took a shower again after dinner and had another crisis in front of her closet. She honestly had no idea what to wear to a meeting with a vampire in his nightclub. In the end she decided on smart casual: a navy knee length dress without cleavage, a black jacket and her high heels from this morning. Before dinner she had asked directions at the receptionist downstairs, who had pointedly looked at her neck before providing them. It was a fifty minute drive from the hotel. She wanted to make sure to arrive precisely on time, not wanting to be late but also not caring for the idea of waiting in a dark parking lot near a vampire establishment by herself. In the end, she arrived one minute before ten o’clock, and André was already there. 

“Don’t worry, it will be fine.” He smiled, though there was a sheen of sweat on his brow. 

There was a blonde woman in a leather suit checking IDs at the door, but when she saw André she smiled. 

“Dr. Michaelson, we were expecting you. And this must be Miss Beckendale. I’m Pamela Swynford De Beaufort, Eric’s business partner.” She said, turning to Keira. Keira noted she smiled but did not extend her hand.

“I am. Nice to meet you, Miss Swynford.” Keira smiled back. 

“Such a polite little thing.” Pam sighed, rolling her eyes. “Just call me Pam. Come, I’ll take you in.” 

They followed her into the bar, and Keira had a difficult time not letting her gaze wonder. While there were not that many people – or vampires – present, those that were there, were only clad in minimalistic leather outfits that left little to the imagination. They were wildly dancing on the stages, and just by their too-fast movements it was clear they were supernatural. However, her eyes were quickly drawn to the vampire sitting on a throne like seat in the back of the club. She had no doubt that that was Eric Northman, vampire sheriff and decider of her fate. All the other vampires cast their eyes down whenever he let his gaze wander over them, as if afraid to look into his eyes. That little fact did not comfort her. However, she had no time to panic – because they were already standing in front of him. 

“Dr. Michaelson and Miss Beckendale to see you.” Pam said in a monotone, as if she was bored. Keira realised she probably was: there must be lots of people seeking favours with this powerful vampire – she had no doubt he was old and strong. 

“Miss Beckendale, at last. I’m Eric Northman, sheriff of area 5.” The tall blonde vampire stepped down from the podium. 

“Keira Beckendale, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Northman.” She said. She was taken aback by how much there was of him. While Keira was not small at 5 foot 6, he had to be at least 6 foot 3. 

“The pleasure is all mine. Please, join me. Thank you Pam.” He gestured to the seat next to his throne, never taking his eyes off of her. From the corner of her eyes she saw André being guided by Pam to the small stool on the other side of Eric’s seat, while she took place in the throne like seat similar to his. Pam nodded to Eric once he was seated and walked back to the front door. In front of their seats the dancing and partying continued like never before. This had to be the strangest place for an interview she had ever seen.

“I was intrigued by your thesis and subsequent research proposal, Miss Beckendale.” Eric Northman said to her, the intensity never leaving his eyes.

Keira smiled politely. This was the ‘explain what you do part’: at least that was normal. “Thank you. I hope to put my theories into practice at the research lab here.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “You have not had to chance to do so before?” 

“Unfortunately, no. The university did not provide any samples. I am obliged to get the opportunity.” He waved the gratitude away: that was not interesting for him. 

She launched into a brief explanation of her proposal, making certain not to say the word ‘blood’ or ‘V’. “With the samples I will conduct a my research in two phases. First, the different negative qualities need to be eliminated from the genetic makeup of the substance. If this is possible, then in the second phase it needs to be combined with conventional medicine to ensure the largest amount of effectiveness against the lowest cost and risk.” 

He nodded, intrigued once more. “What are those negative qualities you speak of?” She had no doubt that he knew, but wanted to hear her say it. 

“Well, there are many studies on the high amount of addictiveness of the substance. Furthermore, the psychological side effects of even a small amount are drastic if it is inhaled in its pure form. In my thesis I have theorised that this is because of the genetic makeup of the substance, and that if this is altered slightly, it will retain its medicinal properties without the negative side effects.” 

“I see. Why the combination with regular medicine?” He seemed puzzled by that, as it was widely known that vampire blood healed all illnesses completely.

“I aim to integrate the two, mostly for practical reasons. As you are aware, it is extremely difficult to acquire enough material for research, let alone for mass production of medicine. Therefore, it is essential to get maximum results with the minimal amount of material. I hope to develop medicine in such a way that the negative effects of regular medicine are countered, while also increasing its effectiveness in targeting a particular disease only.”

“And if you were to obtain enough material?” She did not know what to make of that question. Was he offering?

“Then it would still be necessary to eliminate the negative effects of it before it could be employed as medicine. Also, purely practical, the costs of such would be astronomical, which would not aid my purposes.” There were enough medicine around which were unavailable for those without money, and she did not plan to add onto that pile.

“A true do-gooder, then.” He was a strange combination of sarcasm and sincerity. “Alright, Miss Beckendale, how many samples would you require?” So she had passed the first test. However, she fully realised the interview wasn’t over, yet.

“Well, there have been studies suggesting that the age of the donor plays a significant role in both the negative and positive qualities of the material. It is also known however, that the fresher the sample, the more effective it is. For the first phase, a biweekly supply of differently aged samples would be most beneficial. If that is possible?” She did not know the quality of the blood he provided, nor how far his influence reached in obtaining different types of blood, but she always thought it best to aim high and then meet in the middle.

“Ah, yes. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee the same quality of the samples provided on a longer timeframe. There are voluntary donors residing in the area, but we receive most samples from donors passing through, who give one time donations. However, it would be possible for us to indicated the age of the material as we provide it. Is this acceptable?” From the corner of her eyes Keira saw André nodding vigorously, and so she smiled. 

“Of course, we appreciate any donation we receive.” It was true: she was grateful to get this opportunity, and she doubted many other vampires would be so obliging. 

“Alright, I do believe that was all. I think you will be a fine addition to the research project, Miss Beckendale. Can I persuade you to get a drink at the bar to celebrate?” Eric said, rising from his chair. 

“No thank you, I have an early morning, tomorrow.” She smiled apologetically, rising as well. 

“Come now, Keira, we’re not making you work too hard on your second day, do we?” André joked nervously. He was clearly terrified of offending the tall vampire.

“Not at all. I merely want to look at some apartments before I come in tomorrow. I wish to make this beautiful city my home as soon as possible.” She was sure Eric understood the double meaning behind her words: everybody knew vampires could freely enter hotel rooms, but had to be invited in if you had your own home. Doing what she did, that would make her feel a lot safer.

“I have some wonderful apartments under my care which are available for rent, if you need to find a suitable home quickly. Apartments in Shreveport are in high demand, as you might have noticed.” Eric smiled for the first time that night: a charming smile, she had to admit. 

“I couldn’t possibly impose.” She did not think it was a good idea to get more tangled up with this vampire than absolutely necessary. 

“I insist. I’ll have some paperwork for you to sign tomorrow evening, so we can meet up then to look at an apartment.” 

Keira gave in, deciding she could always tell him ‘thanks but no thanks’ about the apartment when they met there tomorrow. Besides, if she pushed any more, André would have a nervous breakdown for sure. 

“Then I would be happy to.” Really, anything at this point to get away from his intense stare. It creeped her out. His grin got even bigger. 

“Lovely. I’ll text you the address.” She did not ask how he got her number, only nodded, said her goodbyes and turned to leave. André caught up with her halfway through the bar. 

“That went well. He likes you.” He commented. She just nodded again, suspecting they were still within Eric Northman's hearing range. They stepped through the door, where Pam was still checking IDs. The line had grown considerably. 

“Goodbye, Keira, André. Pleasure doing business with you.” Pam said dryly, her attention already on other things as soon as she finished her sentence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun! First time posting a multi-story fic, I'm so excited. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

The next morning when Keira got at work her new colleagues were very interested in the talk she had had yesterday with Eric and Pam. They were surprised Eric Northman had taken an interest in her apartment hunting, but not too concerned. 

“He must just want you to get started on the research as quickly as possible. He is really motivated for it to work.” Aiguo said. She had noticed that too, and could not help but wonder why. She somehow doubted it was from the goodness of his heart. When she enquired after this with her colleagues, they could not help her. 

“I think he wants to play his part in the integration the AVL championed. He is extremely influential, perhaps he’s just trying to set an example.” Hanny remarked. Again, Keira had her doubts. Eric did not seem the type to request others to do as he did: he told them, and his underlings obeyed. But perhaps she was being too harsh: her colleagues had worked with him longer and they seemed to like him, while she did not know him at all. 

Keira spent the rest of the day setting up her workspace, hoping that the blood samples would arrive soon. The lab itself was exquisite. All the high tech equipment needed for genetics research was there, and she was nearly giddy with excitement. It took until the late afternoon to set up her workspace, and prepare everything for the next months. 

She went back to the hotel to have dinner, still staying away from meat. Then she started searching online for apartments, hoping she would find another apartment soon, still not enthusiastic about renting one from Eric Northman. It was hopeless: no vacancies and long waiting lists at realtors websites for apartments within her price range. 

_Bing!_ Her phone beeped to life five minutes after sunset. One new message. She opened it and read the extremely to the point message.

‘Meet me at ten.’ Below it was an address. There was no sender listed, but she had no doubt the text came from Eric Northman. She glanced at her watch: she only had one hour to get there. She quickly looked up the address online, which turned out to be right in the centre of town, only ten minutes away from the lab. And five minutes from Fangtasia. But that was to be expected: it was his apartment and his club, after all. She hurriedly brushed her teeth, put on some deodorant and left for her second meeting with a vampire in two days. 

During the drive she kept convincing herself that she did not want this apartment, no matter how ideally located it might be or how long she had to wait for another one. She just did not think it a good idea to rent from a vampire, who happened to be the sponsor of her research, too. Besides, she was quite sure she could never afford the place anyway – her wages were good, but not good enough for a downtown apartment. So, she just had to sign the papers, politely turn down the apartment, not jeopardise her working relationship with the vampire and leave. Easy.

When she stepped out of the car at five to ten, Eric Northman was already there, waiting for her at the front door. 

“Mr. Northman. I hope I did not keep you waiting.” She put on a smile. 

“Please, call me Eric. I am delighted to see you again.” He motioned for her to enter.

She could not say she felt the same, but kept on smiling and walked in. Oh, there was no denying he was handsome – actually, drop dead gorgeous was probably closer to the truth. However, he was also way too intense for her, not to mention the driving force behind her employment and ability to obtain a PhD. So she was determined not to react to his flirtations. 

They stepped into the elevator, and Eric pressed the button for the top floor. 

“It’s the penthouse?” She was surprised. Why would a vampire choose the sunniest floor of a building? 

His lips curled slightly at her surprise, though it did not reach his eyes. “Yes. I never lived in this apartment, but merely kept it around for… let’s say guests.” She shuddered involuntarily, wondering how many ‘guests’ had stepped out of the apartment in the same condition they had stepped into it. Of course, he noticed. 

“Oh, nothing like that.” He grinned. “I had a human friend who visited from time to time to aid me with my business, and she required a place to stay. After she stopped visiting, I kept it around for convenience sake.” The elevator binged and he smiled at her before stepping out into the hall, and waited for her to follow. 

Keira gasped as she followed him out of the elevator into the house, almost unaware of his eyes on her. The penthouse was undeniably beautiful. The colours were a soft beige, white, and warm greyish brown but the interior modern, making it feel like a home but remaining spacious. What really took her breath away was the gorgeous overview of the city from the balcony. The lights of cars and houses alike shone like stars. She fell silent, and just stared out over the city. Soundlessly, Eric joined her. They stood there for a few minutes, as she tried to wrap her head around all of it. Then she could no longer hold back her questions. 

“Why are you doing this?” She asked softly.

“Giving you a tour?” He was purposely misunderstanding her. She was having none of that.

“Helping me. Helping us create medicine with vampire blood. Why would you do that?” She knew it was rude and perhaps even dangerous to ask these questions to a vampire, but she wanted to understand what was motivating him. His face became solemn and while she never expected an answer, she knew he was telling the truth when he opened his mouth.

“Someone close to me nearly got himself killed trying to prove human and vampires could coexist. I swore to him I would do everything in my power to improve the bond between vampires and humans, if he would just refrain from meeting the sun.” He sounded sad and desperate. Her heart went out to him. 

“Where is he now?” She knew for sure that the person Eric spoke of was still alive – or undead – because otherwise he would not be here, either.

“Travelling in Europe. He did not want to stay here anymore. I feel he is happier there.” 

“I’m glad.” He looked at her sharply, and she hurried to clarify. “I’m glad you were able to save your friend, and that this was the way to do it.” 

He nodded and turned his attention back on the city. They were silent for a couple of minutes as she tried to process this new information on Eric Northman, when he suddenly spoke up. “Why are you?” 

She did not even try and pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about. She decided to answer as honestly as she could: she felt she owed him that seeing as how he did, too.

“My mother died when I was twelve. She was sick. When vampires came out of the coffin and their healing abilities became known, I was so angry because one of them could have saved her in a heartbeat. I realised it was not that simple but that it could be. I want to prevent other people losing their mothers to senseless diseases.”

“I see. That is very… selfless of you.” He blinked.

No, it was not. But she did not tell him that, she just could not. So she just smiled.

“Shall we get on with the tour?” She was already turning away from him and stepping back inside. She explored the apartment for a couple of minutes – two bedrooms, a large open kitchen, two bathrooms and a study – before stepping back into the living room. Eric was lounging comfortably on the couch, some papers on the coffee table in front of him. Keira took a seat on the opposite couch and looked at the papers. Some appeared to be legal contracts for the lab, and on another pile were the contracts for the apartment. She decided to start with the latter.

“It’s a lovely apartment.” She began. He waited for her to continue. “But I cannot rent it from you. I wouldn’t be able to afford it in the first place.” 

“I think you’ll find the rent quite agreeable.” He countered, sliding the page specifying the rent across the table. He was right: it was way too agreeable. She frowned and spoke before thinking.

“I understand you said you want to help with this project, but this is kind of insulting. I feel like a kept woman!” 

At that he let out a laugh.

“I think you are many things, but a kept woman is definitely not one of them. Besides, there are some conditions for the low rent.” She raised an eyebrow. He grinned. “Again, nothing like that. I would like for you to invite me in, but that is all on you. No, I would like for you to allow my friend to stay here once in a while when she returns. Also, I would ask you to invite Pam in. She will not harm you, but in case of emergency one of us needs to be able to reach you quickly.” 

He did not have to explain the hypothetical emergency: Keira knew full well why the lab had to be moved here two years ago. “What else?” 

“Nothing else. You seem surprised.” He observed. 

“You don’t seem the type to give away something for nothing – or practically nothing.” She responded, thinking that was a fairly accurate description of the vampire in front of her.

His grin was back full force. “Well, if you are the one who discovers the way to create medicine with a small amount of vampire blood, I will be obscenely wealthy, as it says in these contracts.” He inclined his head to the other papers. “So I like to think of this as an investment. I’ve heard humans are most productive if they are well rested.” 

She couldn’t help but grin at this, too, and gave in. “Alright, that’s more like it. Okay, I would like to rent this apartment, if those are the only strings attached.” It really wouldn’t do to complicate their working relationship any further, but when he put it like this, she couldn’t not take this amazing opportunity at a fantastic home. She quickly signed them before she would change her mind.

Then she turned her attention to the other papers. The contracts were pretty standard: keep the research a secret until it was successful and then she could publish about it. The publication and credit would be all hers, but the profit the medicine made had to be shared: forty nine point seven percent to Pfizer, and fifty point two percent to Mr. Eric Northman. Also, it was strictly prohibited to use the blood samples for anything other than research. She had no problems signing those. 

And just like that, she had an apartment, a job and a way of realising her life goal. She shuddered involuntarily. It was only then that she noticed Eric wasn’t in the apartment anymore. She looked around, and only when he called “I’m over here” did she notice he was standing in the elevator. She walked over there, a tad surprised.

“What are you doing there?” 

“I can’t get in anymore, now that you live here. You have to invite me in.” She wanted to smack her forehead, of course she had to invite vampires in: that was the whole reason she wanted a home of her own in the first place. Now she had the dilemma whether or not she was going to invite Eric Northman into her house. On the one hand, she did not want to make an enemy by accident, especially not one that was a powerful vampire. On the other hand, he was a powerful vampire, exactly the type she did not want in her house. Then again, she felt incredibly rude not to: he had been nothing but kind. She mentally sighed, it appeared she had no choice.

“Eric Northman, please come in.” He stepped in without hesitation, as if he still owned the place. Which she guessed was technically true. She started gathering the papers, but in a display of vampire speed he collected them all and had them in a folder before she could even pick up the first one. 

She scraped her throat awkwardly, not knowing what to do next. “Is there anything else?” 

“Well, from a business point of view, no. Unless you’re offering?” He smirked, and she rolled her eyes. “I’ll let myself out.” He winked.

“Actually, I’ll come with you. I have to check out from the hotel.” She was determined not to be fazed by his flirtatious attitude. She stepped into the elevator after him, and he pressed the down button. Again, he was the one to break the silence. 

“So, tell me, Miss Beckendale, are you a vegetarian?” 

“Excuse me?” Of all the questions, she had not expected him to ask this one.

“Are you a vegetarian.” He inquired again, calmly.

“I am not. I just don’t eat meat, sometimes.” She answered, nervously.

“On days you’re meeting vampires, you mean?” She felt her face heating up, and he laughed. “It is actually quite considerate of you. Though needless.” 

“I apologise if I gave offense. I did not mean to doubt your… self-control.” She blushed. Had she accidentally broken some vampire courtesy?

“That is not what I meant, exactly. My self-control is indeed better than that, but I meant that you still smell tempting, meat or no.” He turned to her fully, a predatory grin on his face. 

“Mr. Northman! I believe I should take offense here.” She tried to hide her nervousness by speaking sternly. Perhaps she should have waited for him to leave first so they would not be locked in a small elevator together on the way down.

“It was meant as a compliment, I assure you.” His eyes were trained on her blushing cheeks. Thankfully the elevator arrived at the ground floor and she sped out into of the building, into the fresh air. She was sorely beginning to regret inviting him into her apartment. 

“Miss Beckendale.” His voice stopped her, she took a breath to calm down and turned to face him. His smile was somewhat apologetic.

“Call me Keira.” If he was going to flirt with her, she figured they had moved passed the last name basis already. 

“Keira.” He smiled. “I look forward to seeing you again. Enjoy your apartment.” With that he took off into the air. She felt her knees buckle. He could fly?! What the actual fuck… She sat in her car for a couple of minutes trying to collect her thoughts and only when her hands weren’t shaking anymore did she start the car. 

She spent the entire drive thinking about the meeting with Eric. His mood could swing within seconds, from playful and flirtatious to sincere and desperate, and then back again. She still did not doubt he could turn angry within a moment, too. She did not know what to make of him, but knew that nothing good would come of seeing him again.

She collected her suitcases from the hotel and checked out, explaining that she had found an apartment. The drive back seemed to take longer than before, and she realised she was exhausted. Unfortunately, she could not go to sleep when she got to her new home, as Pam was waiting for her at the front door. She parked the car on the curb at the front door – she really had to find the parking lot – and hauled her suitcases out of the car. Pam suddenly appeared at her side, easily taking the two heaviest bags out of her hands like they weighed nothing. 

“Thanks, Pam.” Keira smiled tiredly at her. 

“Don’t mention it.” Came the dry response. Keira grabbed the other two suitcases and began tugging them to the elevator. 

“Så delikat… Jag kunde bara äta henne.” Pam muttered behind her. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” Keira panted, dropping the bags in front of the elevator. She really needed to exercise, it was ridiculous to have so much trouble with two suitcases. 

“I asked where the rest of your stuff was.” 

“It’s in storage at my father’s house. I didn’t think I would find an apartment this fast. But I guess I’ll only get my books over here, as the apartment’s fully furnished.” Keira mused as they rode up in the elevator. She stepped out, and turned to face Pam.

“Pam Swynford De Beaufort, please come in.” 

She did, but only to put the bags on the floor just outside the elevator. “Thanks, but no thanks. I have to go back to Fangtasia.” And with that, Pam was gone and Keira could finally collapse in her heavenly new bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Swedish - what I guessed would be the closest to an old Norwegian language - was pulled from google translate, so it could be entirely wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day three samples of vampire blood arrived at the lab. They were marked: ‘138 years’, ‘212 years’ and ‘13 months’. Keira was giddy and set to work immediately. From that day, she fell into an easy pattern: get up, shower, breakfast on the gorgeous balcony, go to work, work, go home, have dinner and sleep. Every two weeks, as agreed, new samples of blood arrived. The age of the blood always varied, though some ages appeared more often than others: 138 years was common, as were the ones under ten years. Once, a vial arrived that was marked ‘525 years’. Keira nearly fell out of her chair with excitement. 

Her social life was practically non-existent as she spent long hours in the lab, but the work – while slow – was promising. The lab was closed during the weekend, which was the only reason she wasn’t working then, too. She went swimming in the public pool, grocery shopping and doing her laundry. It occurred to her that this must be what it was like to be a grown up: no social life and accepting the responsibilities of life without really realising that was what you were doing. Huh, she guessed she had grown up without actually noticing it. She wondered if that would mean that she would be friendless for the rest of her life, too. 

Thankfully, she got on with her colleagues really well. They were encouraging and helpful, but never pried into her research. She tried to do the same for them. One time, around her second month in Shreveport, they all went for out for dinner to celebrate that Hanny had an article published in Nature. Keira may or may not have spent the next Sunday morning in bed with a hangover – Hanny tried to set her up with a guy in the bar, who kept buying her drinks even after she politely but firmly declined. They did make sure however to pick a restaurant on the other side of town of the lab, and to have drinks in a bar as far away as possible of Fangtasia. 

\--

Keira did not see Eric or Pam – or any other vampire for that matter – again since moving to her apartment. That is until, three months after the first blood samples arrived, André walked towards her desk and scraped his throat. 

“Keira, this arrived for you today with the latest samples.” He handed her an thick, old fashioned parchment envelope that simply said ‘Keira’ in neat, handwritten script. She opened it with a mixture of anticipation and dread. It contained a single sheet parchment, which said: 

‘Please meet me Wednesday at eight o’clock to discuss the progress of your research. Eric’

Below it was an address in the centre of town. She showed the card to André, who informed her that the address of Le Cirque, a popular high end restaurant which served both humans and vampires – “donated human blood and TruBlood, of course.” 

“So, he wants to go to dinner with me?” She was a little dumbfounded. All the commotion had brought Hanny and Aiguo to her desk. 

“That’s obvious, isn’t it?” Hanny grinned when she’d read the card. “Of course when we have to give progress reports we are summoned to Fangtasia, but we aren’t 26 year old brunettes with a killer figure.” She teased Keira. 

“What! You think that’s why he’s invited me?” She was getting pretty angry pretty fast. 

“Hmm, I don’t think vampires have the same views on sexual harassment of employees as humans.” Aiguo mused. 

“I say.” Keira muttered, recalling Eric’s flirtations in the elevator. “Well, I’ll go, but only to give him a piece of my mind!”

“Keira, are you sure that is a good idea? I mean, of course this is inappropriate, but he is our only donor and without him, your project fails before is has even properly started.” André carefully pointed out. Keira sighed, realising the validity of his speech.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be polite. I’ll just tell him nicely that I’d rather be treated the same as all my colleagues.” She could be tactful about this but still draw a firm line. She hoped. 

“Who knows, maybe next time he’ll invite us all for a fancy dinner.” Hanny laughed. 

\--

On Wednesday she updated her progress report to make sure she at least had something useful to say other than accuse Eric of sexual harassment and then went home to change. Hanny and her had had a whole discussion on what she should wear. Hanny thought she should just enjoy the night and deal with the consequences later – “I mean, you have to admit he is incredibly handsome!” – but Keira wanted to keep their relationship strictly on a professional level – “he’s my boss’ boss and my landlord!” In the end she settled again on smart casual: a black knee length dress finished with some lace frills on the bottom, and a cream jacket and ditto shoes. She threw on a thin scarf against the cold – even this early in October it was a tad chilly after sunset. 

She stood in front of the restaurant for a couple of minutes before Eric arrived, seemingly out of nowhere like he fell out of the sky. Which, she realised, was probably true.

“Keira.” 

“Mr. Northman.” She look him straight in the eye. He raised an eyebrow but did not comment on her formal address. 

“Please.” He said as he motioned for the door. His right hand hovered the small of her back – never touching, but steering her in the direction of the restaurant. They were quiet as the maître d’ took their coats and showed them to the table. Apparently Eric was a regular here, as he did not need to give his name. 

A waiter appeared at our table immediately after they sat down, bringing us two glasses of champagne. Eric’s was rosé coloured. 

Keira scraped her throat. “Mr. Northman, before we start, I would like to thank you again for this opportunity, and the help you have offered me.” He did not look impressed. “But, I have to admit I’m a little uncomfortable with this.” She motioned to her champagne glass, hoping to convey ‘this is beyond normal employer-employee relations’ without having to say the words. 

He smiled rakishly. “I assure you my intentions are… well maybe not pure, but not as basal as you make them out to be.” He nodded thoughtfully. “Though I had not thought you the type to interpret every friendly dinner as a courting attempt.”

“What… No! You –” She realised he was having her on. She made a face. “Very funny.” 

He grinned. “It’s simply dinner. I won’t bite. Much.” 

She blushed. “Right. It’s just that my colleagues always go to Fangtasia, that I thought…”

“You are more than welcome to join me in Fangtasia later tonight. However, your particular research has caused quite a stir in the vampire world. I did not think it prudent it became known who exactly was getting their hands on so much vampire blood.” Eric explained, serious again. 

In the meantime, the waiter had arrived and took their orders. Keira ordered chicken, making Eric grin, while he ordered TruBlood instead of donated blood, which she truly appreciated – making her feel quite the hypocrite. Eric then got on to the topic at hand. “Tell me, what is your progress?” 

She started explaining about the project, still feeling pretty stupid. However, her enthusiasm soon took over and she filled him in over the discoveries she made in the past few months. The waiter appeared with her dinner and a glass of steaming TruBlood halfway through her report, and while her food was no doubt delicious, in her enthusiasm she barely noticed what she was eating. Eric sipped seemingly mindless at his TruBlood, apparently also enraptured with her report. He agreed with her that progress was good, even though it would be quite a while before they could use the blood to create medicine. 

“One thing that did confirm my earlier research was that the older the blood, the stronger the negative side effects, but age also improves the healing qualities exponentially, by approximately a factor eight. It is trickier to negate the side effects, but the results would be so much greater.” She suddenly stopped as a thought occurred to her. She sent him a searching look. “Can I ask something personal?” 

“Only if I can, too.” He said calmly: she had no doubt he knew what she wished to ask. She felt incredibly rude and therefore decided to make the question as little personal as she could, secretly also hoping he would extend her the same courtesy. 

“Did you give a blood sample of your own blood to the lab?” 

“I did not.” He did not elaborate, and she did not ask any further. “Why did you invite me in?” 

Of all the questions, she had not expected that one and it did not even occur to her to lie. “Well, at first I reasoned that you would be angry if I did not, and that I did not want to make you my enemy.” He seemed to accept that answer looking at his drink, but looked up when she continued. “But the more I thought about it after, the less sure I was that that was the reason. You were so… open and honest with me on the balcony. I liked that. My whole life people have been lying to me, or keeping secrets. My mother did not tell me she was sick before nothing could be done. My father isn’t really lying I guess, but he also never tells me anything important. You did, and I barely even knew you.” 

He was silent after that, but then she snorted. “Though I guess I can’t blame dad. He doesn’t even know what I do at the moment, so…”

Eric was surprised at that. “You did not tell your father what you are doing?” 

“I did not tell anybody what I am doing. Says so in my contract, remember?” 

It was his turn to snort. 

“Do you ever miss yours?” She asked suddenly before thinking it all the way through.

He frowned. “I don’t understand.” 

“Do you ever miss your family? I felt I was dying when my mother passed away, I can’t imagine what it must be like for you.” She elaborated.

He seemed to think about that question, and then answered softly. “No, I don’t miss them. I avenged their deaths, but I don’t miss them. They are almost abstract... It is so long ago.” 

She finished her meal in silence, Eric seemingly lost in thought as well. When she was finished he motioned the waiter over again. 

“The cheque, please.” He turned back to her. “You know, Keira, I don’t think anybody has ever asked me questions as freely as you have. It’s quite… refreshing.” 

“And I have never met someone who seemed to draws answers out of me that easily. It’s… scary.” 

He had to laugh at that. “Of all the things you find frightening about me, you choose my ability to ask questions?” 

“Well, the flying bit had me gasping for breath for about five minutes, but whatever.” She quipped, making a joke of it. She thought it best not to mention the qualms she had about him eating her in the elevator. Besides, her curiosity was getting the better of her. “Is that normal for vampires?”

“Some vampires have special abilities, yes. Most do not. They amplify with age.” She nodded thoughtfully, storing that bit of info away for later. Eric must be old, if he had the ability to fly. She wondered if he was around the same age as the oldest donor – 525 years. She wondered if he thought were all humans were young, childlike even?

“Do you ever feel old?” She blurted out, and immediately her mouth with her hand, eyes going wide. “Oh god, I’m sorry! That was rude. Sorry.” 

He let out a laugh again. “You do realise that _I_ spend my evenings at a bar, and _you_ spend them at home reading books.” Her blush intensified. “Men du rodna som ett oskyldigt barn… Aptitväckande.” She did not know what he had said – she guessed the language was Danish or Swedish or Norse – but his eyes got intense again, and she was never happier than when the waiter interrupted with the bill. She made to grab her purse, but Eric stopped her. 

“I am old fashioned enough to pay for dinner,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. She thought it would be rude to point out that technically he hadn’t eaten, so kept her mouth shut and let the maître d’ help her into her coat.

Once outside she noticed some noises coming from the other side of the street. She looked closer and saw that there was a protest going on. She couldn’t really see who or what for, until two protestors got around the ring of police that was formed to keep them in line and ran towards the restaurant, one holding his sign high in the air. Only when Eric let out a low warning growl did she realise what was on the sign the man was holding up. 

‘Fangbangers go to hell’ 

Ah. They must be from the Fellowship of the Sun, or some similar organisation. 

“Let’s go.” She urged Eric on, thinking this could get ugly pretty quick. Unfortunately, her warning came too late, as the protesters had spotted them and apparently recognised Eric. They changed their course to run straight at Eric and her. 

“Demon! Demon! Go back to hell, and take that whore with you!” The one with the sign shouted. Keira barely had time to feel insulted at his sexist address of her, when the other man threw something at them. It exploded at their feet, and splattered red material all over their legs. She flinched, but it turned out to only be a water balloon filled with red paint. Keira just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but when she turned to grab Eric and run, he was no longer at her side. Instead, he was thirty feet away, holding the man with the sign up by his throat. The protester was turning blue in the face, his protest sign forgotten at his feet.

Eric’s fangs were out and he looked livid. In that moment Keira fully understood why humans and vampires alike feared him so. “I don’t take kindly to threats, and even less to insults. This better be the last time I see you, savage, because next time I won’t be so merciful.” Eric dropped the man to the ground, where he lay gasping for breath. 

However, Keira only saw this from the corner of her eyes, as her main focus was on the other man who was still running towards her, shouting “fangbanger, fangbanger whore!” She stood there, paralysed, not having the presence of mind to run, or even to deny his accusations. When he reached her, he struck her across the face without warning. 

In a flash, Eric was by her side again, knocking the man to the ground like it was nothing. She thought she heard a crack as the man’s ribs broke. Eric scooped her up – when did she fall? – and then suddenly they were in a park, which she thought was four blocks from the restaurant. He put her down gently, looking somewhat concerned though the anger had not faded from his eyes. 

“Are you okay?” He made a motion as if to lift up her chin to inspect the bruise on her cheekbone, but she jerked her head back. 

“Don’t touch me!” The image of him tossing that man aside like he was a fly flashed across her mind.

“I need to see if it’s broken. I won’t hurt you.” Slowly, he placed his fingers on her cheek. She closed her eyes, but his fingers remained gentle and were actually nice and cool against her throbbing cheekbone. 

“It does not appear broken, just bruised. I would give you my blood, but I think you’d rather not.” He smirked. 

“No thanks.” She agreed. She looked over at him, and then at her own feet. “We’d better get this paint off, before it dries.” Her cream shoes were so red she feared they were beyond saving. 

“Blood.” She looked up sharply. “It’s animal blood, not paint.” He explained calmly. 

She was going to be sick.

“They do it in the hopes that vampires will lose control when they smell it, proving their point for them. Of course nobody told them that cow blood stinks to high heaven. Morons.” He shook his head and looked at her. What he saw must have displeased him, because he frowned and said: “Perhaps you should go home and wash up. Where’s your car?” 

“Near the restaurant.” Keira shivered. She didn’t want to go back there. It felt cowardly, but she never had that much hatred directed at her before and wasn’t very keen on going back to face it again. 

Eric nodded. “Hold on.” Before she could protest he scooped her up again and they were off into the air. She held back a scream and buried her head in his chest. This really didn’t help her already upset stomach. He tightened his grip and just a few seconds later they landed on her balcony. 

Eric put her down carefully and she wobbled to her bathroom without looking back. She winced when she saw her face in the mirror. Not only was her cheekbone swollen and red – no doubt it would be blue and purple tomorrow – but she was deathly pale and tears had left mascara streaks over her cheeks. She quickly showered and then walked into her bedroom to put on some clean clothes. 

To her surprise Eric was still in the living room when she stepped out in her pyjama shorts and plain white cotton t-shirt. He was studying her bookshelf: most of her books had arrived from her father’s house a month ago. She coughed to get his attention, though he probably heard her come into the room anyway, and he turned to her. 

“Thanks for taking me home.” She smiled but winced as the stretching motion hurt her cheek. 

“Pam was right, you are delicate.” He observed as he gave her a once over. Keira suddenly wished she had put on a robe and suppressed a blush. 

“Yeah, I guess those self-defence courses at the Y were a waste of time.” 

He made a sarcastic sound as if to say ‘ya think?’ – if he were the sort of man to make such a comment. Instead, he said: “Your natural instincts are not functioning properly. Instead of either fight or flight, you freeze.” He shook his head. “It’s a wonder you’re still alive.” 

She huffed. “Well forgive me for not being used to men charging at me with the intention of knocking me down.” 

He suddenly smirked. “Is that an invitation?” She just rolled her eyes in response but couldn’t stop the blood flowing to her cheeks, too. His smirk grew even bigger, but his tone was serious when he said: “Just take comfort in the fact that he won’t be doing it again, if he’s got any brains at all.” 

He turned to leave, and stepped on to the balcony. The words tumbled out of her mouth before she had a chance to consider them. “Thank you for tonight. It was nice, despite the ending.” 

He gave no indication he’d heard her except for a small inclination of his head. “I’ll see to it that your car is returned here before tomorrow morning.” And then he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Her car was indeed parked in its usual spot the next day, while she had found the keys on the coffee table. She decided not to think of either Pam or Eric being in her house while she was asleep, and just went to work.

She had tried to hide the bruise – which was now a angry shade of darkened skin – as best as she could with the limited amount of cosmetics she owned, but to no avail.

“Good morning, Keira! How was your – oh my god, what happened to your face?!” Hanny exclaimed. 

“There was this protest outside of the restaurant that got out of hand, and we got caught up in it.” Keira said as nonchalantly as she could. “But I think Eric broke some ribs of the guy who punched me, so I’d say we’re even.” 

“Did you still go to dinner?” Hanny asked, a gleam in her eyes appearing. 

“Yes, we only ran into them after.” Keira saw the look in her colleague’s eyes. “Really, Hanny, only you could want to set me up with my vampire employer. We discussed work.” Amongst other things. An omission did not count as a lie, right? In any case, Keira was not about to tell Hanny about the heart to heart she and Eric had had. 

“But he still defended you from danger.” Hanny pointed out, sighing like that was the most romantic thing ever.

“Yes, because he is a knight in shining armour all the way.” Keira replied sarcastically. “Honestly Hanny, for a terribly bright person like yourself, this is a really stupid idea.” 

“Fine, fine, I won’t say anything. But I’m still right.” Hanny teased. “And I’ll tell you I told you so without any hesitation when you get together.”

Aigou walked in at that moment, dropping his papers in shock when he saw her face. “Good grief Keira! Did Eric do this?” 

“What? No!” She found it amusing to note the different conclusions that were being drawn by her colleagues. She retold the tale of our dinner – “just work” – and the protest. Just as she was wrapping up André walked in, reading the local newspaper and barely watching where he was going. 

Hanny, Aigou and Keira exchanged a look. “Morning, André.” They chorused. Only then did he look up from his paper. 

“Morning. Keira, did you get a look at this morning’s local paper?” He asked, looking at her. “Shit, what’s happened to your face? Please tell me you weren’t involved in the riots!” 

“Riots? What riots?” And then he pushed the paper under her nose. 

‘Fellowship of the Sun clashes with local vampires’ it read in big, black letters on the front page. The article went on to describe the protest outside Le Cirque and that ‘violent eruptions between members of the protest and vampires have been reported. The police are currently investigating.’ 

Keira paled. “Oh god. Yes, we were there. I was attacked by a protester as we walked out of the restaurant, and Eric pulled him off me. He, uh, may have broken a couple of his ribs.” 

“Right.” André squeaked, and cleared his throat. “Well, I think it best that you go to the police immediately, and report the assault by this man. Then, in the case the police come knocking at his door, Eric can claim self-defence.” Keira nodded, and grabbed her coat. She felt terribly guilty for possibly landing Eric in trouble – even though she hadn’t thrown any punches. 

Keira arrived at the police station fifteen minutes later, and for good measure she removed the make-up concealing her bruised cheek. The bruise was truly ugly, all purple and black and covering half her face. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. 

The officer on duty greeted her politely. “Good morning, Miss. How can I – what’s happened to your face?” 

“Morning. That’s why I’m here, actually. I’d like to report an assault.” The officer on duty told her to follow him and summoned a colleague to join him in the interview room. He motioned for Keria to sit down and activated the camera recorder.

“Officer Jenkins and detective Richards interviewing possible assault victim. Please, tell us what happened, Miss …?” 

“Keira Beckendale. I was assaulted by a protester yesterday evening around eleven as I left Le Cirque. He came towards me and hit me across the face.” 

The officers shared a look and Richards coughed before speaking. 

“Was the man who assaulted you part of the protest group gathered in front of that establishment yesterday evening?”

“I think so. He came running from amidst them, but I don’t accuse the Fellowship of the Sun for the actions of one man, if that’s what you’re asking.” 

He nodded. “Have you ever seen the man who assaulted you before yesterday?” 

“I have not.”

“Can you think of any reason why he would harm you?” 

“No. I was walking out of the restaurant with an acquaintance, barely noticing the protesters until they came running towards us.” She thought it best not to mention she and Eric were working together.

“Did he give any reason for his assault?” 

“No. He just kept screaming ‘fangbanger’ and ‘whore’ at me.” To their credit, they did not react to this – she knew prejudice still ran deep, even with the police. 

“You made no aggressive gestures or threats when he came to you?” 

“No, I was petrified, and just stood there as he struck me.” 

Jenkins nodded. “Well, Miss Beckendale, your testimony sounds authentic. Could you perhaps confirm you are this woman?” He opened his laptop and played a video – clearly recorded with a phone – of the two protesters running towards them. The camera had followed the man running towards her after the blood bomb splattered at Eric’s and her feet – Eric blurring out of the frame – and had focussed on her being struck across the face by the man. Then Eric blurred back into shot, pushing the assailant off and scooping her up, and then just like that they were gone. Thankfully, Eric manhandling the other protester was not taped – not on this video, anyway.

“Yes, that is me.” Keira confirmed. 

“Well, then you have saved us a lot of work by coming here, instead of us having to find you. We have identified the male vampire as Eric Northman, is that correct?” 

She saw no point in denying: they already knew who he was. “That’s correct.” 

“Do you know where he went as he left your side during those few seconds?”

“I think he blocked the other man running towards us, but I am not sure. All my attention was focussed on the man coming towards me.” She seemed to be walking the fine line between lies, truth and omissions a lot today.

“Understandably so.” Richards said. “Alright, Miss Beckendale. I will be straight with you. When Mr. Northman stopped the other man coming towards you, he bruised the windpipe of that man severely. When he pulled your assailant off you, he broke three of his ribs. They have pressed charges against him. However, in light of your testimony and injuries, it seems like excess self-defence before anything else. We will of course need to question Mr. Northman, but due to… circumstances we can only do this later today. In any case, if you would like to press charges, please fill in these forms.” He handed her a set of papers, which she proceeded to fill in, describing in detail what had happened. She did not really want to press charges, but it seemed she had no choice: if she did not, it would look worse for Eric. And thus have negative consequences for her – both legally and in relation to her research. 

Once she had finished she thanked the officers for their troubles, promising to call them should she recall anything else, and walked back to her car. However, before she reached the parking lot officer Jenkins called her name and trotted towards her. 

“Miss Beckendale, I realise it is none of my business, but I feel compelled to warn you. This is off record, of course.” Only when she nodded did he continue. “Both parties involved in this investigation have a history of violence and have used extreme measures to reach their goals. I urge you to be careful in your dealings with both of them. Especially with your… acquaintance.” 

Keira was already in over her head – if any vampire besides Eric or Pam or a religious group found out what she did for a living her life would be complicated to say the least – but Jenkins did not know that. It was really very sweet of him to go out of his way to warn her. 

“Thank you, officer Jenkins. I appreciate the warning, and I promise to be careful.” 

They said their goodbyes and she stepped into her car. She drove back to the lab, but stayed in the parking lot behind it before going back in. She dialled Eric’s number and waited till it went to voicemail. 

“Hello Eric, this is Keira. I went to the police as we agreed yesterday to press charges against my assailant. The police wants to see you as well, but they concur that you were acting in my defence, even if you were a tad forceful in your concern over me. Anyway, just letting you know that I’m okay now thanks to you. Bye.” 

Since she didn’t know if the police could listen in on his phone she hoped he understood everything she wanted to say without it being too obvious: that he pretend they agreed to involve the police like good citizens should, and that he was only defending her when manhandling them, and to make clear to the police he wasn’t out to get the protesters. Perhaps she was a bit paranoid but the Louisiana police were not exactly known for respecting vampire rights, and Keira did not want Eric to go to jail.

She went back to the lab and informed her colleagues on what the police had said. They were relieved the police agreed that Eric was acting in her defence – while their research was not as directly dependant on the vampire as hers, it would be set back considerably if he was not there to support them. 

Seeing as how there was nothing she could do anymore, she just went back to work and occupied her mind with other things.


	5. Chapter 5

That night Pam rang Keira’s doorbell around eleven thirty. It had occurred to her during the day that she might be summoned, so she hadn’t changed into her comfy outfit after work like she did on other nights, and made sure she looked presentable – a pathetic effort with her cheek the way it was, but still.

“I’ve been told to ask you to accompany me to Fangtasia. Eric also instructed me to use the word ‘please’.” Pam said with a roll of her eyes, after Keira had invited her in. Keira followed Pam out of the door without question, and saw Pam had parked an ostentatious red sports car in front of the door.

“So why did you do it?” Pam asked once they sat in her car and she was speeding them in the direction of the vampire nightclub.

“Go to the police?” Keira asked, not understanding.

“Advise Eric to tell the police it was his idea to involve them, like a good little boy.” 

“Just for that reason, actually. I wanted to police to think he was cooperating with them, making them more likely to believe he acted in self-defence, or my defence.”

Pam frowned. “Why?”

“Because he grabbed the man before I was even struck by the other one. That looks bad, but he could plead excess defence that way.” Keira explained.

“He did listen to you, you know. He pleaded self-defence when the police came knocking on our door just after the sun set, but also after we had listened to your voicemail. But what I meant was: why did you want to protect him?” 

“Oh.” The problem was Keira did not know how to answer this question. She had just wanted to, but how was she going to admit that? She decided to stick to half-truths, again. “Well, if he goes to jail, I’m unemployed. Also, he did pull that guy off me and got me out of there.”

“How sweet.” Sarcasm laced Pam’s voice. “It would be best if for tonight you upped the affections play somewhat for our guests. The police are not the only ones asking questions.” Pam said cryptically as they pulled up outside Fangtasia. They walked in but instead of going to the podium – which Keira saw was empty – they went to the office in the back. 

Eric was there, leaning against his desk, and on the couch was – to Keira’s great surprise – another face that she knew: Nan Flanagan from the AVL. Nan was shadowed by two burly vampires dressed in black. Keira immediately understood what was going on: Nan Flanagan was in charge of vampire PR, and Eric had been in the news negatively. She assumed they would play the defence card here, too. She remembered Pam’s warning: apparently she was to play Eric’s light-bite-on-the-side, as an excuse for him defending her.

Pam walked to stand diagonally behind Eric, a defensive play if she’d ever seen one. 

“Keira.” Eric says her name like he was caressing a lover, making shivers run down her spine. She suppressed her weaker instincts of swooning and remembered the part she had to play: she walked to his side keeping her eyes on him. Eric wrapped his arm around her waist, pressed a kiss on her hair and only then did he focus his attention on Nan Flanagan. Keira was a bit taken aback by the intimacy of his gestures, but apparently this was the show they were going to put on. She was determined not to read anything else into it. 

“Nan, my I introduce my human to you, Keira Beckendale. Keira, this is Nan Flanagan of the AVL.” 

Nan eyed her critically before letting her eyes rest on Keira’s bruised cheek. She looked at Eric. “You let your human walk around like that, Eric? You can’t care that much then.” Eric growled and Nan smiled, turning her attention back to Keira. “Miss Beckendale, can you tell me what happened yesterday?” 

Keira nodded, and felt Eric pull her a little closer. To the outside world it must have looked as if he was comforting her, but she knew he was telling her to make the damsel in distress-ness convincing. “Eric and I were having dinner in Le Cirque, and when we walked out around eleven we were attacked by two members of the Fellowship of the Sun. I was so afraid when one of them knocked me to the ground, but Eric saved me by pulling him off.” She wondered if she had laid it on too thick, but Nan just kept smiling politely so she continued. “I don’t know what would have happened if Eric hadn’t been there.” 

Nan looked back at Eric without even commenting on her story. “Well, it seems that your account holds up. We might actually be able to spin this in our favour: a vampire defending a human against another human… Though I still don’t understand why you let her walk around like that.” 

“If it would make you happier I could give her my blood right now, but I thought it would look to the police and the media as if I attacked those men without cause.” Eric said smoothly. “After all the trouble I went through to handle this by the book…”

Nan nodded. “Never thought I’d see the day. Alright, I agree that you acted within your rights. But please let me handle the press, and keep me informed on the police investigations.”

“Gladly. It’s been a pleasure as always Nan, but I have to get back to my business.” Eric and Nan rose, and Keira was pulled up by Eric. He still had his arm around her. Nan and her bodyguards left the office. Eric, Pam and Keira followed her out of the office, but Eric and her headed to the podium as Nan and the two suits left the club, being walked to the door by Pam.

Eric went to sit on his throne, pulling Keira into his lap and placing his hands on her hips. She was about to protest, but put his index finger against her lips, and kept his eyes on the door. Only when Pam appeared there two minutes later and gave him a sharp nod before heading out again did he release his hold on her hips, though he made no move to remove her from his lap. 

“My apologies, I had to make sure they were gone,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. She, too, had enjoyed sitting on his lap a little too much for her own good. She let herself enjoy the feeling one more second before she hopped off.

He grinned. “Please take a seat.” She pointedly ignored his sly tone and took the seat next to him. His face got serious again. “I wish to thank you for today, Keira. Both for your actions regarding the human police and your interactions with Nan Flanagan. I had not foreseen the impact my actions from yesterday would have, and for that I sincerely apologise. Your insights and quick acting has saved me a lot of troublesome annoyances. I want to ask that if there is anything I can do to return the favour, you let me know.” He spoke quietly.

She nodded thoughtfully, but smiled sincerely at him. “You’re welcome. I should have thought about going to the police yesterday, don’t know why I didn’t.” That was not entirely true. She daren’t admit it even to herself, but she hadn’t felt the need to go to the police because she simply did not feel unsafe anymore after Eric had pulled that guy off her and whisked her away. “Did they also show you the film that was made of the attack?” She asked curiously. 

He let out a low growl. “Yes, and it made me realise I should have hit harder. I would still give you my blood, if you changed your mind.” He looked at her searchingly, as if trying to read the truth from her expressions. She internally shuddered at the thought of what would have happened had he hit the protesters any harder.

She shook her head. “I would just like to go home, please.” After yesterday’s and today’s emotional rollercoaster she was exhausted. 

“Of course.” In a movement too fast for her to see he was standing next to her chair, holding out his hand to help her rise – sometimes these little things he did showed that he was way older than he looked – and took her out the back door. There he held out his other hand, and she gulped as it dawned on her what he was planning. She grasped his hand and was startled by the tenderness with which he pulled her to his side. 

And then they took off into the air. This time she did take the opportunity to look around, and was amazed by what she saw. The city was a haze of lights and life beneath them. She felt like a feather on the cloud, drifting gently above it all. All too soon, they landed on her balcony. 

“Wow, that was amazing!” She had completely forgotten her fatigue, and felt high. 

“I’m glad. Next time I’ll take the long way round.” He smiled.

“There will be a next time?” She looked at him excitedly. 

He chuckled. “If you wish so, yes.” 

“I’d love to.” She answered, meaning every word. 

“Good.” His eyes had gotten that intense look again, but this time she did not look away. She was hyper aware he was holding her very close still, and when he leaned into her and his lips touched hers she reacted instinctively. 

The kiss was electric and sweet at the same time, eager and tentative, desperate and passionate. It sent butterflies through her stomach, made her weak in the knees and cling to him even harder. Eventually though her need for air overcame everything else and she broke the kiss, gasping. He pulled her even closer and kissed the top of her head for the second time that night. 

“Goodnight, Keira.” He murmured and then he was gone before she had a chance to form a coherent thought.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning Keira wasn’t sure whether she had dreamed the flight and kiss on the balcony. Her cheek was still bruised so she knew any dreams weren’t attributable to vampire blood. That meant that she was either having sexual dreams about Eric, or that she had actually kissed him after he flew her home. She did not know which option she preferred, but was sure that with either she was screwed. If the first, having an unrequited crush on your vampire employer was way too cliché for her tastes. If the second… _Well, let’s just say that that will open a whole new can of worms_ , she thought to herself sarcastically. 

She went to work wondering how her life had gone from mundane to fucked up within forty eight hours. If her colleagues noticed anything strange about her behaviour they chose not to comment. She went through the day with robotic motions, her head a thousand miles away. Over the course of the day she got more and more convinced she hadn’t dreamed the kiss up. She would not deny that that was the sort of thing her head could come up with – Hanny wasn’t kidding when she said Eric was handsome – but somehow it felt too real for it to be a dream. So she had to face the music. 

Rationally she knew it was the worst idea ever to kiss a vampire, especially one who was your boss, your landlord and whom you genuinely liked. However, despite all the reasons not to, she had to admit to herself she could fall for Eric hard if she wasn’t careful. He was funny, intelligent and sexy as fuck. She liked that. 

When the sky began to darken she left her apartment for a stroll, and somehow ended up in the park where Eric had whisked them to after the protester knocked her down. She knew it would be pointless to try and analyse her feelings for Eric – they were all over the place. She also backed out of an attempt to plan her next move, or their next meeting: he was too unpredictable for that. So there was nothing left to do but think about the kiss itself. 

She had no doubt it was the best kiss she had ever had. In her opinion it was everything a kiss ought to be, except that it had been with her vampire boss. But she was determined not to go there again, and therefore she resolutely changed her train of thought. In the end she decided that the best thing she could do was play it by ear: no expectations, no planning and no over thinking – anymore. 

She rose from the bench she had taken a seat on, and when she turned to leave a familiar figure was blocking her way. 

“Hello Miss Beckendale.” 

She smiled as she recognised him. “Good evening Officer Jenkins, how are you?” 

“I feel I should be asking you that. How is your bruise?” 

“Better, thank you.” In truth there was not much difference with yesterday, perhaps it was a little less blue but more green. Still hurt, too.

“I’m glad I caught you here, I thought you might like to know we have spoken to Mr. Northman about the events of the 5th. His testimony also indicated he was acting in self-defence, or rather, your defence.” She already knew that, but still made an interested noise. 

“He claimed to fear for your wellbeing, making him act on instinct.” Again, this fitted within the play he put up for Nan Flanagan as well. 

Jenkins’ expression shifted suddenly, from friendly to calculating. “Trouble is, I don’t know if I believe that. A vampire caring for a human, so much that he would lose control? If anything, he was upset his plaything got broken.” He said with a shake of his head.

Keira bristled. “He doesn’t control me.” 

“Maybe not, but I fear you are in over your head.” His voice was gentle again. “If you need help, it would be best to speak up now.” 

“I don’t. I am very much in charge of my own life.” She was rapidly getting angry.

“I’m only urging you to be careful. Are you sure you are safe in your… relationship?” 

“She is.” A voice suddenly growled from behind her. 

She gasped and turned to face the newcomer. “Eric!” 

If she felt angry, he looked murderous. His fangs were extended and he radiated fury. Officer Jenkins paled but made no motion to reach for his gun, thank heaven. 

“As I told you before, officer, I don’t take kindly to threats, especially veiled ones aimed at my human. I suggest you leave now.” Eric’s words were clipped and loud.

Jenkins inclined his head to her. “Please think about what I said, Miss Beckendale.” Keira grabbed Eric’s hand to prevent him attacking a police officer as said officer turned his back on them and walked away calmly. Only when she could not see him anymore did she release Eric’s hand. He turned to her at the loss of contact and immediately his eyes softened. 

“Keira.” She swore she would melt if he continued to say her name like that. “Why are you here?” He frowned. 

“I, um, was taking a stroll.” It was her turn to frown. “How did you find me?” She doubted he was here for any other reason, and he did not try to deny it either.

“You weren’t at home. I looked until I found you.” 

She resisted the urge to flinch at his confession. She looked at him, her mind only now processing his earlier words. “What did you mean, ‘my human’?” She also recalled him saying that to Nan Flanagan. She was more offended at this level of possessiveness than she dared to let on.

“It means that under vampire law no other vampire can touch you. It means that you are under my protection. Nothing more.” He seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. 

“Why?” She did not understand why he would do that. Sure, he kissed her and perhaps even liked her, but this was a whole other level. 

He suddenly smiled. “You have no idea how appealing you are to me. You challenge me in every way possible and yet you accept me without question. I have never met any human like you. I wish to keep you near.” He spoke softly. 

A shiver ran down her spine. 

They moved as one, their lips meeting in mid-air. This kiss was deeper, wilder and more intense than the one last night had been. She wound her hands through his hair, pulling him down to allow better access. Somebody moaned but it was lost in the kiss. 

In the end, she pulled away, needing to breathe. His eyes were blazing and focused on her lips. He was without a doubt the most sexy man she had ever met. She made no illusions about him though: he was an old vampire, violent and unpredictable if there ever was one. But so far he had not crossed any lines. Heck, she hadn’t even seen him bite anyone. She was happy about that, but wasn’t that what vampires did? She suddenly realised she was taking a huge risk by being here alone with him in a dark park, kissing him and lowering the restraint he showed so far. 

And not only that, but he was her boss. And landlord. Her vampire landlord boss. _And this was such a bad idea_ , she mentally freaked out.

She awkwardly scraped her throat and stepped back. “I should go.” Before she did something stupid. The odds at the moment were even between kissing him again, and her freaking out.

He did not try to make another move as she half expected, and just nodded. “Do you want me to take you home?” He asked in a low voice. 

“No! Uhm, no, thank you.” She blushed, not trusting herself to stay in control if she was pressed closely against his body. “I’ll… uh, see you around.” 

Before he even had a chance to respond she turned and walked away so quick it must have looked as if she was running, only slowing to catch her breath when the park was three blocks behind her. 

It felt as if there were eyes on her, but when she turned to check behind her, she did not see anyone. She guessed Eric hadn’t followed her, even though she knew he easily could have. Giving herself a mental shake and ignored the voice inside her head – which sounded suspiciously like Hanny – that whispered that she had probably ruined any chance of kissing Eric again through her running away. She turned the corner to her block and promptly bumped into a man. 

“Oh, I’m sorry!” 

He hissed in pain, and then she got a good look at his face and paled. It was the man who assaulted her and whom Eric knocked to the ground. She had bumped into his ribs, so no wonder it hurt. She prayed he wouldn’t recognise her. 

“Miss Beckendale.” What the fuck! How did he know her name? It dawned on her this was not a chance encounter, and that it were probably his eyes she felt on her earlier. 

“You! What do you want.” She was pretty confident he wouldn’t try to attack her again: his ribs seemed to bother him greatly. Still, she rapidly started regretting not taking Eric’s offer to see her home.

He grinned a false smile. “To give you a message. It is not too late to look for redemption, Miss Beckendale. The Lord will strike down your demon, and on those who protect them. He will send his plagues on you, make you feel His righteous anger. Beware of judgement day, Miss Beckendale, and turn to the light before the End. It will come for you soon.” 

And with that he walked away. She ran home as quickly as she could, locking the all the doors behind her, any thoughts of the kiss forgotten.


	7. Chapter 7

The next night Keira sat in her car for half an hour outside Fangtasia, trying to figure out what she would say to Eric, or even if she should go in at all. On the one hand she felt she should warn him about the threats the creepy man had made against him, but on the other she didn’t really want to face him again. And even more, she did not know if he would want to see her again. She knew it would probably come out the next time they saw each other – he had a way of drawing out her deepest secrets, and there was no way in hell she could pretend like nothing happened, she was way too freaked out for that – but she did not know if he would be happy to see her again after her abrupt departure yesterday night. 

Perhaps it would be best not to see him tonight… And then just hope he wouldn’t stop by. Or worse, hook up with some ditzy blonde who willingly threw herself at his feet, throat exposed and probably the rest, too. Who would not freak out when she kissed him… She mentally groaned. Why did it have to be so complicated? Because there was no doubt: she liked Eric. He was violent and a crazy and her boss, but also sweet, gentle, intelligent and funny in a sarcastic way. So she was stuck at the original question: does she go in and tell him – about the threat, not her feelings – to prevent worse, or not, also to prevent worse?

She was halfway into working herself into the panic attack that had been budding all day when she was startled out of her thoughts by a tap on the window. Keira looked up and saw that it was Pam, holding up an umbrella against the light drizzle. Pam raised an eyebrow at her, questioning her sanity most likely. Keira undid her seatbelt and got out of the car. 

“Are you going to come in?” Pam did not beat around the bush, but did hold the umbrella over both of them.

“I’m not sure.” Keira confessed. 

“Tell me you haven’t got a petty human crisis.” 

Keira had to smile at that. “I guess I do. Sorry.” Best to play up the insecure girl part as long as possible. She did not know how Eric would react to more threats from the Fellowship, but in that moment she realised it would be best never to find out. She had to get out of here before she spilled the beans, which she would if he came to her.

Pam sighed. “Alright, tell me.” It was Keira’s turn to look at her inquisitively, not expecting her to care enough to ask. “I have no doubt it has to do with Eric. It will be better for all of us to get you inside as quickly as possible and get this over with.” 

“Get what over with?” Her curiosity overruled her desire to not talk with Eric for the moment.

“This angsty does-he-like-me drama. The sooner you talk to him, the sooner your ridiculous anxiety will be soothed, and I can enjoy my night.” This explanation did not clear much up for Keira. 

“Why do you care?” She was genuinely curious.

“Eric is my Maker. If he is unhappy, I don’t like it.” Pam stated matter of fact. 

“Your Maker? He… turned you?” She gasped.

“He did. 138 years ago.” 

Something in her brain clicked. 138 years… Pam was the vampire who donated blood often?! And Eric had turned her into a vampire? This was the straw that broke the camel’s back. She felt dizzy with all this new information and the consequences they carried. 

Pam rolled her eyes. “Oh great, this is getting worse. Put your head between your knees, or something. I’ll get Eric.” She was gone before Keira could plead with her not to do that, and took the umbrella with her. Keira just did as Pam said and slumped next to her car, trying not to hyperventilate. 

Eric was beside her seconds later. 

“Keira. Breathe.” He lifted her from the wet ground with ease and placed her on the hood of the car, his legs trapping hers. He lifted her chin and locked his eyes with hers. “Calm down. You’re okay. Look at me. You are fine, no one will hurt you.” Immediately she felt better, strangely, and could breathe more calmly. This was so not how she wanted their meeting tonight to start, and she told him exactly that.

He laughed. “You’re very… human.” She guessed vampires didn’t have panic attacks that often. His voice became serious when he spoke next. “Tell me what happened.” 

“It’s stupid, really. I just didn’t know that Pam was the one who donated blood to the lab. Or that you turned her into a vampire. You didn’t… make her do it, did you?” She pleaded with him, despising herself for even thinking that. 

“I did not. Pam volunteered. Does that ease your fears?” She nodded and then shivered from the cold the continuous drizzle brought with it. Eric noticed and sighed. “So delicate.” 

He helped her off the car and took her inside, hand on the small of her back. She guessed that answered the question of his being angry with her, and deciding she was apparently forgiven, could not help but stare at the way his now wet black shirt clung to his muscular form. Pam was smirking at them as they passed her, but sounded serious when she asked Eric for a word. He nodded but kept walking, and only turned around once he sat her down at the bar, and had ordered Chow to bring her anything she wanted on the house. 

Keira asked for a soda – thinking it best not to get inebriated around so many vampires – and was sipping it quietly, trying to look around the bar without making any eye contact. It was Saturday night, and so the bar was packed. Vampires were dancing on stage, twisting their hips too fast to be human. Around them were groups of humans, looking up at them adoringly, and vampires, checking out the humans. One of them – a vampire – caught her stare. She nodded politely – no need to offend anyone – and turned her stare back to her drink. Too late, though. In a flash, he was next to her. 

“Hello, darling. Don’t you look lovely, all wet like that.” He leered, ogling her wet form. She was dressed appropriate for the fall weather, but conservative for Fangtasia standards, in baggy jeans and a black t-shirt. This time, she was wearing sneakers – as she had feared, her cream heels had been ruined beyond the point of saving. 

“Thank you.” She said as curt as possible, not looking at him. Of all things, she did not want to be hit on by a strange vampire tonight. 

“Don’t be like that sweetheart. I’ll only bite, not bark.” He grinned, giving her a once over and then letting his eyes rest on her neck.

“No thank you. I’m spoken for.” She said, remembering Eric’s lecture on vampire law.

“Are you now? By whom?” Guess that wasn’t enough to put him off. 

“Eric Northman.” She looked him right in the eye as she said that.

“Alright, why didn’t you say that before. I’m already leaving, toots.” He glanced around, and turned to leave without another word.

“Please do.” She looked into the direction he had glanced at, and saw Eric standing at the entrance, a furious look on his face and his eyes following the back of the retreating vampire. He must have felt her eyes on him, and was by her side in a flash. 

“What happened?” He growled. 

“Nothing, he was just being… polite.” She smiled her most sweet smile. Not really fair for that vampire to get beat up for asking if she was interested. 

“Not him.” Another growl. “Även om jag kommer till honom senare. What happened for you to sit in your car for thirty minutes just now.” 

“Nothing happened. Pam just surprised me, is all.” Keira denied quickly. She wondered why he kept saying certain sentences in another language. 

“Don’t be smart. According to Pam you were in shock before she even got to you.” He sounded irritated. 

She sighed, giving in. “Alright. I ran into the guy who attacked me. Literally. He warned me that God would get me in the end, and you too.” 

His eyes narrowed infinitesimally and in a flash they were in his office. The motion was so quick it knocked the air out of her lungs. She gasped for breath. “You really need to warn me before you do that.” 

“You should have told me the Fellowship made threats against you.” His eyes were blazing and his voice barely controlled.

She took one last deep breath, steadying myself. “They didn’t. Not technically. There was nothing threatening about his words. Although I do wonder how he knew my name…” She shivered again, and only partly from the cold. 

“He knew your name?” Eric scowled. 

“He did. Perhaps the police told him. Anyway, nothing happened, and I do not want to make it bigger than it was.” She said dismissively. 

“Keira, when did this happen?” Suddenly, there was something in his eyes. …Fear? She quickly dismissed that notion.

“Last night. After the… park.” She squeaked, still not really wanting to discuss that in particular.

He did not verbally respond, though his hands balled into fists. She wished she knew what was going on in his head, but for once she kept her mouth shut. Then suddenly his angry eyes focussed back on her. 

“You need to drink my blood.” 

“Excuse me?” She blinked, not expecting that. 

“Drink my blood. I want to know where you are at all times.” He stepped towards her, his gaze intense. 

“I won’t.” She raised her chin defiantly, meeting his stare head on. “I don’t need a babysitter and I will not subject myself to all the off-putting side effects just so you can have control over yet another aspect of my life.” 

“I was not asking.” He brought his left hand to his wrist and bit down. Blood immediately welled up and trickled down from two puncture wounds. The blood pooling on his hand and dripping to the ground was all she could focus on. He now was so close he was towering over her frame.

“Eric, no. Don’t do this. Don’t make me do this.” She started backing off, knowing full well that there was nothing she could do if he decided to force her. For the first time since she knew him, she felt real fear coursing through her. She realised was right to walk away yesterday. 

Looking at her, he halted. 

“… You are afraid.” His eyes were still blazing with anger. “This is for your protection! Why are you running from me? I will not hurt you!”

“You could hurt me so easily! You are hurting me now!” She shouted, getting angry too but still backing away. “I do NOT want to be your plaything, for you to summon whenever you feel like it, without any control of my own!” 

In a flash, he stood before her again.

“I am protecting you! Saving you! Do you have any idea what the Fellowship is capable of?!” He appeared livid now, fangs out and pinning her to the wall with his right arm. The only consolation she had was that his left wrist was no longer bleeding and that he made no move to bite it again. 

“By forcing me to drink your blood?” She took a deep breath and forced herself to speak softly, never breaking eye contact. “Eric, even if someone wants to hurt me… Even if I get hurt… Please don’t take away my choice about my own life.” She could tell that last remark struck a chord. He released her and took a couple of steps back, a pained expression on his face. 

She saw her opportunity and practically ran out. He did not stop her. She ignored the irony of the fact that no matter how he treated her, with kisses or threats, apparently there was no situation where she did not run from Eric Northman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favourite chapters to write ;) Please leave a comment, let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday she felt terrible. She had a cold, a runny nose, had barely slept and wanted to stay in bed and never leave it again. The events from yesterday evening ran through her stuffy head. She guessed sitting in the rain and not getting dried off quickly caused her cold. 

But, that was small game compared to the potentially life-changing argument she’d had with Eric in his office. She still felt she’d made the right choice, even though she knew it would have been beneficial for her health, as well. But, she argued herself in her head, she was working on that with her research. She should just have faith in that. 

She didn’t know how it made her feel that Eric never donated blood to the lab but that he was willing to offer it to her now. Or that he let it just drip to the floor, as was happening every second she didn’t accept his proposition. It was all she’d been able to focus on, until he towered over her.

Around eleven in the morning, the doorbell rang. She groaned, got out of bed, wrapping blankets around her and went to the intercom.

“Hello?” She croaked.

“ _Hi. This is Alcide Herveaux. Eric Northman sent me?_ ”

Ugh. Great. The last thing she wanted was to let this stranger in, but she was swaying on her feet and did not feel up to a discussion over the intercom. She buzzed him in and crashed on the couch, not caring that she looked like a pathetic pile of misery. In fact, she hoped she looked so bad it would get the stranger out of her house quickly. If he wanted to harm her she was in no condition to fight. Why did she let him in again?

The elevator pinged. Too late to panic now I guess.

“Keira Beckendale?” The man asked as he walked into the living room, putting his duffle bag next to the door.

“That’s me. Sorry for the presentation.” She coughed, standing up. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Alcide Herveaux. Eric Northman sent me here to protect you until he has dealt with the Fellowship.” He smiled. 

“You’re kidding. Tell me you are kidding.” 

He shook his head slowly. 

“Aaargh! That son of a bitch vampire! If he thinks he can just do this to me!” She was going to kill Eric. Again. She’d get her wooden spatula and kill him dead. 

She turned to the man, taking a deep breath. “Look, Mr. Herveaux, thank you for coming all the way here, but I don’t need protection. And certainly not on Eric Northman’s orders. So you can just run along, and tell him that I did not change my mind since yesterday.”

He sighed. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. I owe Eric Northman a debt, and seeing as how I can’t pay him back, I do jobs for him. One of them is apparently playing bodyguard to you. So I’m not leaving until he says it’s okay, and I know that my family won’t… go bankrupt.” _So my family won’t be eaten by a crazy vampire_. He looked at her apologetically, as she was forced to take a seat on the couch by a new wave of dizziness as she tried to take it all in. 

“Now, you look like you could use some chicken soup.” She slumped further on the couch and watched Alcide make soup, deciding that her life was a total mess while sniffling into a tissue. He was back surprisingly quick and handed her a bowl.

“Thanks. So how did you get involved with Eric? Why didn’t you go to the bank for a loan?” She hoped she wasn’t being rude, but her head hurt too much to tell. The soup was really good.

“Can’t exactly tell the bank you’re a werewolf and that’s why you can’t hold a steady job.”

She nearly choked on her soup. “You’re a werewolf?! Werewolves exist? Oh my god, when is this day going to end, I don’t know if I can take more of this…” She put her head between her arms and when she looked up a few minutes later – breathing calmly she was proud to say – he had the grace to look ashamed. 

“Perhaps you should sleep it off. You look terrible and if Eric sees you like this, heads will roll, starting with mine.” He helped her up and supported her as they walked to the bedroom. The last thing she heard was Alcide closing the door with a soft click as he left the bedroom, and she was asleep when her head hit the pillow.

\--

When Keira woke it was dark, and she felt heaps better. She guessed all the late nights and emotional stress had caught up to her, and hoped that a good night sleep would fix her up again for tomorrow morning, so she could just go to work and pretend it was a normal Monday morning. And that she did not just have a weekend filled with threats by the Fellowship of the Sun, and kisses and fights with vampires.

When she stepped into the living room, Alcide was on the phone. He turned and glanced her over, nodding at her. He stayed where he was, clearly not bothered that she could overhear parts of his conversation. In fact, after another glance at her, he put the phone on speaker while bringing his finger to his mouth, indicating her to be quiet.

“ _How is she?_ ” Eric’s normally deep voice sounded tinny over the speaker. 

“She’s fine.” Alcide replied, looking like he wanted to roll his eyes. Keira was suddenly glad the vampire couldn’t see him.

“ _Is anybody near the house?_ ” 

Alcide, however his attitude to Eric, walked over to the window, pulled aside a curtain and looked out. “Not as far as I can see from up here.” 

She tried to focus on the contents of her bookcase, but failed miserably to select a book in favour of trying to catch a word of the conversation. Her heart skipped a beat at Eric’s next sentence. “ _Ask her if it is alright for me to come over._ ”

“I’ll… ask.” Alcide turned to her, putting his hand on the microphone of his phone. “Keira, would it be alright if Eric came over?” 

Her head whipped around, and she stared at him with large eyes. The way Eric’s large frame towered over her yesterday, threatening her, replayed over and over in her mind. She shook her head ‘no’. 

Alcide nodded, turning his attention back to the phone. “She says no.” 

“ _No…? Right. You stay with her until I let you know it is safe, don’t let her out of your sight. It is possible the Fellowship knows where she works, though I don’t believe they know what she does, otherwise they would have started their offence. I want you to drive her to and from work every day._ ” 

Keira almost protested out loud at that comment, but Alcide motioned for her to not give away that she was listening in. “Alright, I will.” 

“ _You ensure she makes it through the day safely without worrying too much, you understand?_ ” 

“Yes.” 

“ _Don’t forget who you’re dealing with here, Alcide._ ” 

This time, Alcide really did role his eyes. “I won’t.” 

“ _Nobody harms her, am I clear._ ” 

“Yes.” 

“ _Or I will personally deal with you._ ” With that, Eric hung up.

“Asshole.” Alcide sighed and turned to Keira. “So, as you heard, Eric wants to let you know he’s working on it, and tells you not to worry.”

She snorted. She did not know what frightened her more, the Fellowship threatening her or the idea of Eric threatening Alcide. She tried hard not to think about what he was doing to the Fellowship.

“You know,” Alcide interrupted her thoughts. “I’ve never known him to ask anyone if he could come over. He just always did.” He looked at her with a funny look in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes and could not contain the sarcasm in her voice. “Yes, and I’m so flattered that he would show me manners after threatening me so inconsiderately. Look, as far as I’m concerned Eric and I had a functioning professional relationship” – she left out the kissing, that was nobody’s business – “but it took a severe hit after he tried to force me to drink his blood and then sent you over like I was his to control. So I don’t care what he did or did not ask, I just want to forget it ever happened.” And with that, she walked back into her bedroom and slammed the door.

\--

The next morning Alcide insisted on driving her to work, and insisted he would pick her up again at five o’clock. This time she protested out loud but fell silent after he explained.

“They know who you are, Keira. It’s possible they know where you live and where you work. Let’s hope they don’t know what kind of work you do. But in any case, if something happens to you, it’ll be my head.” She consented, but only because she did not want him to get in any more trouble with Eric. She doubted the Fellowship would just snatch her up in broad day light. 

Her poker face must be improving, because none of her colleagues noticed anything amiss. Hanny did comment on Alcide picking her up later that night, but she introduced him as her cousin who was staying for a while. 

In the weeks after that, she settled into her new rhythm. She would get up, eat breakfast, get driven to work, work – no matter the fallout between her and Eric, the vials kept coming – and would get picked up again by Alcide at five o’clock. Her diet significantly improved, as Alcide was a fantastic cook and did groceries when she was at work, and all in all it wasn’t too bad. Alcide was good company, if one didn’t think too long on the fact that he was in her house without her asking, and doing it so his werewolf family could settle a debt to a powerful vampire. 

She was trying very hard not to think about said vampire, with varying success. She had mostly forgiven Eric. She knew that he claimed he just wanted to protect her, and that while he went about it wrong, he meant well. She still meant what she had said – she did not want his blood – but she could and should have handled it better. She knew she had affected him with that last remark about choosing for herself, though she did not know why. For all her attempts to understand the Nordic vampire, she still did not get what ticked him off. 

It was frustrating beyond words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, no Eric/Keira interaction in this chapter... My bad. Next week, I promise!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this story is rated M for this chapter.

One Friday afternoon, nearly three weeks after he suddenly waltzed into her life, Alcide picked her up from the lab as usual, but warned her that he would leave immediately after dropping her off and that he would be gone for a couple of nights. 

“There is enough food in the fridge that you don’t have to leave the compound. If you do, I’m afraid Eric will send someone to take my place, or even perhaps come over himself.” 

“Fantastic.” She muttered sarcastically. How come she had attracted the most overbearing vampire in the history of time? Then again, she did not know how overbearing vampires normally were; perhaps this was standard behaviour. Anyhow, she knew that she would run into him eventually again. 

She sighed. “Can’t escape him forever, I guess. Where are you going, if I may ask?” She smiled at him, knowing it was not his fault.

“It’s a full moon tomorrow, so I’ll head to my pack.” He explained, trying to gauge her reaction. She was very proud of not gaping like a fish, and let out a humourless laugh.

“You know what, never mind. Good luck, and I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. Don’t forget, there’s food in the fridge.” He warned again, before he stepped into his car drove off. She hurried into her house, and relished in being alone for the first time in weeks. That solace was quickly disturbed however, when her bell rang just after sundown.

She briefly considered not opening the door, but knew that that would only delay the inevitable. She took a deep breath and answered the intercom. “Hi, Eric.”

“Keira.” He was silent for a couple of seconds, and then there was a thud on the balcony. She blinked, and went to pull the French doors open. 

“Can I come in?” He asked, hovering in the doorway. 

“Of course. I did not retract your invitation.” She answered, and turned away from him immediately in favour of putting away the empty dishes she had left on the table from her dinner Alcide had put in the fridge. 

“You know that was not what I meant.” She did know, but saw no point in arguing about it anymore. She hoped he had calmed down after their weeks apart, she knew she had. In any case, the bruising was gone, and she had not heard from the Fellowship after that one encounter. Though that could well be due to Eric. 

He nodded and stepped inside, looking around. “I see that Alcide has settled in.” He frowned at the sports shoes Alcide had left near the door, and the car magazines on the coffee table. 

She lifted her eyebrow, giving him a pointed look before walking into the kitchen. “Yes, seeing as how he did not know how long he would grace my house with his presence, I told him to make himself at home.”

She could imagine Eric’s eye roll or him rising his eyebrows, or even him frowning, but she was too busy looking everywhere but at him, until his surprisingly soft voice drew my attention.

“Keira, I wanted to… I shouldn’t have tried to force you. You were right, your life is your own.” 

With a sigh she closed the cupboard she was pretending to look in, and turned to face him. 

“I appreciate you saying that. I’m sorry if what I said offended you.” 

He smiled a sad smile at her. “You didn’t offend me. Just reminded me of someone.” She looked at him questioningly. “The friend I told you about. When we first met he offered me a chance to live, but he left the choice to me. I would have hated him had he not asked. I wish you would choose to accept my offer, but I will not force you.” He stopped talking there, but she understood what he meant to say: he could not stand the idea of her hating him. 

“Thank you.” She did not know what else to say. Eric, too, looked uncomfortable. It was a strange sight. She decided she might as well get everything she wanted to ask off her chest.

“Eric, why did you send Alcide?”

He looked at her, surprised. “You know why.”

“Yes, he told me it was for my protection. But why did you think I needed it? What has the Fellowship done?” She had thought about this a lot: it seemed to her a few balloons of animal blood and some nasty words on the street were not a reason for this much fuss. 

“The Fellowship’s slights against me and the ones I hold dear are more numerous and graver than you can possibly imagine. I will not let you be put at risk.” Eric took a breath, but continued. “My friend is also the reason why I am fighting the Fellowship. They were the reason he wanted to meet the sun. I can never forgive them for that. I told you, you are under my protection. I have a professional and personal interest to keep you safe.” He sounded determined.

“Why didn’t you tell me? If you want us to work together” – she didn’t say in which sense, either professional or personal – “you need to talk to me.” She looked him straight in the eye as she spoke, hoping to convey her seriousness. 

Eric regarded her and responded quietly. “Alright. I’ll talk things over with you. In fact, I would like to invite you over to Fangtasia now. There is someone I would like you to meet.” 

She took this as much as an admission of fault as she would ever get. She decided to take it, wanting to move forward. Besides, he sparked her curiosity, but she was also wary. “A vampire? Please tell me it’s not a werewolf. You could have told me about that by the way, before you sent one into my house.” 

“I would have, but I did not have much choice in the matter. I hardly thought I was welcome to make introductions properly.” He responded. She harrumphed, conceding his point. 

“Why is Alcide in your debt?” She was on a roll now. 

“He owes me quite a bit, a debt from some years ago.” Clearly he was not willing to elaborate more. She decided to let it rest, in favour of the next topic on her mind.

“Who am I meeting?” 

“A former member of the Fellowship. He might have some more information for us.”

“Alright.” Deep down she had to admit she was curious to know more about the Fellowship of the Sun than she had read in the newspapers. Especially now that it seemed they had picked her as a target. 

He hesitated again. “Do you want to take the car?” It was obvious that he had come here using his usual method of transportation, but he was leaving the choice to her. Still not sure if he was forgiven.

“Flying is faster.” She replied casually, putting on her coat.

He smirked and held out his hand. When she took it he twirled her – thank heaven for her dancing lessons that kept her upright without stepping on his toes – into his arms and whisked them to the balcony, and over the city. She tried hard not to be too aware of his warm body next to hers – honestly, those three weeks had done nothing to diminish her awareness of him physically – and just enjoyed the view. 

\--

When they landed at Fangtasia, Pam was there in one of her tight leather outfits. 

“He’s here.” Pam said before Eric could even ask. “Just as moronic as ever. Nice to see you again, Keira.” She said, her attention as per usual already on the next customer.

Eric and Keira walked inside, and moved straight for the office. When she walked inside, she saw a handsome, blonde young man sitting on the sofa. He was clearly nervous to be there. He looked up at the sound of the door opening, and rose to greet her. 

“Ma’am.” He had an incredibly thick southern accent. His gaze moved from Keira to Eric, and he starts to sweat. “Mr. Northman. Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.” Keira got the impression that previous times the young man encountered Eric, it wasn’t under the best of circumstances. 

Eric just chuckles. “Relax, Jason. May I introduce Keira Beckendale? Keira, this is Jason Stackhouse, a former member of the Fellowship. Jason, have you been in contact lately with any members of the Fellowship of the Sun?”

“No! No I haven’t. Just working. And looking for Sookie. Have you seen her?” Jason looked up at Eric with unabated hope in his eyes. Keira thought she saw a flash of something – pain? regret? – in Eric’s eyes but it was gone too fast for her to be sure. Still, Keira’s interest was piqued. She guessed this was the human friend Eric had kept her apartment around for who was gone, but he had not mentioned she was missing. However, this wasn’t really the time.

“I have asked you here to answer some questions on the Fellowship.” Eric deflected the question entirely. “Recently they have taken to threatening Miss Beckendale. Care to tell us about that?”

By this point Jason was shaking like a leaf. “Honest, I don’t know nothing about that! I no longer go to the Fellowship!”

“What about your friend, Mr Hoyt? Has he had any contact with them?” 

“No! I don’t know! I keep my distance, I swear! I don’t want nothing to do with them no more.”

Keira was actually feeling sorry for the guy, and it was clear he did not know anything. Eric must have come to the same conclusion. 

“Alright, I believe you. Off you go.” Jason scampered to his feet and was out the door within seconds. Eric shook his head. “Idiot. Should have known he knew nothing.” 

“How do you know him anyway? He does not seem like the type to hang out in Fangtasia.” Keira asked.

“One of my… acquaintances was working with his sister.” Eric replied. Keira decided to press. 

“Sookie? The girl who is missing?” 

“Yes.” Eric seemed very disinclined to discuss this further. Keira ignored that. 

“She also the one you kept the penthouse for?” She could see Eric getting more irritated with every question, but then he shouldn’t have brought her here, should he.

Eric sighed, giving in. “Your memory is too reliable for your own good, you know.”

Keira grinned. “So I’ve been told.”

“Then you will also recall me saying that I have faith she will come back. I’m sure you two will get along marvellously.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because you both seem to enjoy pestering me a lot.”

Keira laughed at that. “Then I’m sure we will.” She hesitated, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “When do you think she will be back?” 

“I don’t know. She vanished. But I believe she is still alive.”

Keira decided to ask no more after that. She was totally unfamiliar with the situation, but she knew what it was to hope against hope for a miracle and have a loved one return to you. 

Eric changed the topic. “I’ll take you home.” He opened the door, and they walked through the club outside past Pam, where Eric wrapped his arms around her waist. Eric shot them up in the sky, and once again she had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of flying. Just like before it took her breath away and she could not focus on anything else but this fantastic feeling of weightlessness. 

As he had promised, this time Eric took the long way round, taking them over the outskirts of the city before flying back to the city centre and landing not on her balcony but on the roof of the highest building in Shreveport. 

Keira was proud to say she only wobbled a bit as she let go of him and walked to the edge of the building, looking down. 

“Steady there.” Eric placed a hand on her shoulder, to keep her from falling off the roof. She turned back to him.

“That was amazing. Thank you. I…” She bit her lower lip. “I missed this. You.” 

He was silent, but stared very intently at her face, at her lips. Yet he stayed motionless. She knew what he was thinking: the last time he kissed her she had ran away, so now the initiative was up to her. She did not hesitate long. 

She leaned forward and stood on her toes to reach his lips with hers. He responded immediately, kissing her back with a passion and intensity that she had never felt before. This time though, she did not back away, and responded in kind. 

He grabbed her upper legs, pulling her up. She got the hint, wrapped her legs around his waist and then he took them into the air. This time she was more busy with kissing him than the scenery, though she felt the adrenaline surging through her body. But that could have been the kiss, too. 

Every now and then he broke the kiss – remembering that she needed to breathe – and tenderly kissed her neck. 

“You have no idea how delicious you are.” He said, his lips vibrating against her neck, planting kisses that she knew would result in hickies the next day.

They flew a circle and landed on her balcony and stumbled inside at a human pace, leaving a trail of clothes in their wake and never breaking away from each other. His hands slid up and down her body, teasing her breasts with slow, playful touches. Then, he twisted one nipple slightly and her hips bucked involuntarily. He led her backwards to the bed and when the back of her legs made contact, she sat down, taking him with her.

She wound her fingers through his hair, desperately wishing to touch him. His fingers trailed further down, and his mouth replaced his hands on her breasts. “Eric, stop teasing, please – oh!” 

He fingered her clit, and her mind went to overdrive. She moaned and arched against him, not being able to control her movements. He stroked and squeezed in all the right ways, and she was losing it rapidly. When his mouth trailed upwards to kiss her and his fingers sped up, she was thrown over the edge and lost to an explosion of pleasure. 

Keira was brought back to her senses by Eric’s kisses on her neck and jaw. She pulled his attention back to her mouth, and trailed her hands down over his abs to his erection. She slid her thumb over the head and then put the digit in her mouth, tasting the bitter sweetness of Eric. He regarded her action with blazing eyes.

“You have no idea what you do to me.” He kissed her with a renewed vigour and slowly pushed into her. She felt incredibly full, and when he rocked his hips she could not contain a gasp.

“Eric!” She moved her hips to match his thrusts. He moved quicker and quicker, until she could not match his speed anymore and just braced herself against the headboard. She wrapped her legs around his waist, making him enter her deeper, harder. The friction was delicious and when he brought his fingers back to her clit, she was racing towards her second orgasm that night. When it hit she clenched around Eric. He let out a growl and she felt him empty himself in her. 

The sensation filled her with a rush of emotion she wasn’t prepared for – ranging from joy to feeling overwhelmed to bewilderment to trepidation. She had to take a couple of minutes to catch her breath, but Eric did not and he was out of bed in a flash. She barely had time to feel hurt – and cheap – before he was back, grasping a bottle of TruBlood in his right hand. He stepped back in bed, and held out his left arm for her to slide to his side. She did, suppressing her surprise. 

“You’re staying the night?” Keira asked while tucking herself under his arm, and laying her head on his chest.

“Clearly.” He answered dryly. He pulled the blanket from underneath them and covered them both, pulling her closer as he did. She sighed contently and basked in the wonderful feeling of him all around her for a minute. However, a thought was bothering her, and no matter how tired or sated she was, she knew she had to ask before she could have a chance of sleep.

“Eric?” She was not sure how to broach this topic, but she couldn’t not try to figure out her earlier emotions. “Why do you think I have no idea about… you? You are so different around me than you are around other people… Why?” She frowned, but the effect was ruined as she was barely keeping her eyes open. She made an effort and popped up on one elbow, to really look at his face. He looked pensive, like his thoughts were a million miles away. Suddenly, he looked down at her and smiled.

“Sleep, Keira. I’ll be here.” He murmured as he drew circles on her back, and she gave into the comforting seduction of sweet sleep, feeling safe and content in his arms. Just before sleep claimed her, she thought she heard him mumble something, but couldn’t be sure what he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I was super nervous posting this. Never written smut before... Hope you liked it!


	10. Chapter 10

Keira woke the following morning feeling pleasantly stiff and sore in all the right places, the questions she had had last night forgotten. Flashes of passionate kisses, moans and mind blowing orgasms came back to her quickly, and her stomach tingled from just remembering it. 

Eric was long gone: the sun was high in the sky. She checked the clock, which indicated that it was half ten. She was so happy it was Saturday and she could stay in bed a little while longer, enjoying the afterglow of an amazing night. 

Then her stomach rumbled and she guessed she couldn’t stay in bed too long after all. She made breakfast and showered, the warm water loosening her stiff muscles. She could not help but wonder about Eric. She hoped he would stop by tonight, or wondered if she should go to Fangtasia. She never believed in the wait-three-days rule anyways. 

However, before that she had work to do. Her apartment was a mess: somehow they had managed to knock over two chairs and remove a painting from the wall. Eric’s clothes were gone, but hers were still on the floor. She picked up her bra: it was completely shredded, as was her t-shirt. Of her knickers she could only find bits and pieces. Worst of all, there were hickies on her neck. She could not go walking with hickies on her neck. A good old fashioned scarf would be a solution, were it not that people would immediately think she was a fangbanger, even if it was fall. Which, she guessed was true, but they did not have to know that. She smiled to herself and went to work on cleaning her house. 

\--

That evening around 10pm, just as Keira accepted Eric was not coming – perhaps this was all he wanted from her? – and she was about to order in some comfort food, there was a knock on her balcony door. 

“Keira.” Eric’s deep voice greeted her. He sounded emotionless, but the soft kiss he planted on her lips when she opened the doors was sweet, and his lips got more demanding soon. His tongue licked her lips and she parted them without thinking. Any more insecurities she had on whether or not he would forget about her were lost in the kiss. 

The kiss was heaven, and it wasn’t until a shiver ran down her spine that they both realised she was cold standing on the balcony in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt in the middle of fall. 

Eric smiled. “So human. Would… Can I ask you to accompany me tonight?” 

Now it was her turn to smile. “Like a date? How human.” She teased. 

“More or less.” Eric smirked. “We have organised a Halloween party in Fangtasia, and I was wondering if you would like to join me.” 

Halloween. She had totally forgotten about that. She smiled. “Sounds fun. Let me just get changed.” Eric smirked and gave her a once over that clearly indicated she shouldn’t wear anything that she minded being torn off her later. She blushed and ducked into her bedroom. 

Of course this last minute invitation meant she did not have a costume, but she doubted Eric would like it if she dressed like a werewolf or witch anyways. She therefore just picked her favourite dress, heels she could dance in and quickly applied some mascara. 

When she stepped back out she found Eric on the balcony, looking over the city with a pensive look in his eyes. 

She grabbed her purse and walked over to the balcony, and as she stepped out Eric turned, already holding out her coat for her. If she ever doubted his nature, his chivalry always reminded her of the fact he came from a bygone age. 

“What a gentleman.” She teased as she slipped into the coat, thankful for the extra layer. She had dressed appropriately for Fangtasia: a black dress that reached to her mid-thigh and high heels. Still more conservative than what most others wore in the club – she always believed one had to leave something to the imagination – but way more daring than what she normally would wear. 

It also did not help that Eric, who was now fully pressed against her back, was a few degrees colder than the average human. His voice was soothing as he kissed her jawline, but his voice was serious when he spoke in a low voice: “Don’t get any ideas, Keira. Don’t forget what I am. You were right, I could hurt you.”

She twisted in his arms, looking up to look him in the eye. “I know. But I trust you won’t.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and buried her face in his chest, ignoring once again the whisper in her mind that she was playing with fire. “Just like I won’t.” Or at least, not intentionally…

He just held her tighter and pressed a kiss on the top of her head, before taking them off into the night’s sky. 

Just like before, the flight was exhilarating and made her feel high on adrenaline. It also helped that Eric had started kissing her neck while in mid-flight. She honestly did not need any vampiric law to state that she was off the market – her neck spoke volumes with the amount of hickies he placed in the last 24 hours. She briefly wondered if this was tempting for him – to bite her, but then he did something with his tongue that made her lose all rational thought.

When they landed all too soon at the parking place of Fangtasia she looked more than indecent. In addition it dawned on her that they were in a very public place: Pam wasn’t 300 feet away, and there were some catcalls from humans waiting in the line – the vampires knew better once they saw who it was she was kissing. Keira blushed. “Perhaps we, uh, should go inside?” Eric grinned but did not object, and stepped back enough for her to straighten her dress. She tried to not look ravished as they walked inside. 

Once they had passed a smirking Pam and walked through the door, Keira’s mouth nearly fell open. Fangtasia was never dull on a normal Saturday, but tonight it was unrecognisable. The whole club had been transformed into a horror house, with cow-webs and flashing lights creating divisions between the normally open space. It was more like an open maze now, where at any moment vampires could come out of seemingly nowhere. She could not imagine a more fitting décor for Halloween. 

Eric had once again this intense look on this face, focussing solely on her. 

She turned to him, eyes wide. “It looks amazing.” 

Eric smiled, a small smile that reached his eyes. “Yes, it does.” He turned to kiss her and did not let go for the rest of the night.

\--

On Monday she went to work with a fashionable scarf around her neck, concealer no longer enough to cover the hickies. Thankfully, her colleagues did not notice a thing amiss as it was rather cold outside and Alcide was still absent. Keira was wondering if they noticed she was twice as lost in daydreams as usual. 

When she got home from work early in the evening, her phone was ringing. She hurried inside, still in a good mood from her wonderful weekend with Eric. 

“Keira Beckendale speaking.”

“ _Miss Beckendale, this is Anna, assistant to Doctor Abigail, head of Genetics department at the Shreveport University Hospital. I’m calling because the paperwork from Stanford came through_.” Anna had a very bubbly voice, so much so that it nearly distracted Keira from what she was saying. Keira quickly shook her head, and calculated that it was true. She had been so busy with work, Eric, and well, her crazy life, that she had forgotten about her appointment. 

“Right, when would you like me to stop by?” 

“ _Doctor Abigail has a gap Tuesday December 6th, if you would like?_ ” Anna’s voice sounded incredibly cheerful at that thought.

“I’m sorry, I have to engagements during the day and prefer not to schedule my appointments then.” Tuesday was usually when the new samples came in, she didn’t want to miss that.

“ _No problem, Miss. How about at 8pm the December 14th? Doctor Abigail has the night shift that day, and she likes to plan appointments during that time as well_.”

“That’s great. I will be there.”

“ _See you then, Miss Beckendale_.” And with that, Cheerful Anna hung up the phone and Keira bit her lip. 

Shit. 

\--

After the call she was debating whether or not to call Eric. On the one hand, she wanted to see him again. On the other, he had the uncanny ability to make her spill her deepest secrets, and the phone call with the hospital had pushed all things she normally tried not to think about to the forefront of her mind. She knew that if Eric saw her, he would know something was up, and she would probably not be able to keep her mouth shut. 

And given his reaction when he thought she might have a stalker from the Fellowship, this would be so much worse. Therefore, no matter how much she wanted to, she decided not to call Eric. 

In the end, it did not matter: he called her around eight o’clock.. 

“Keira, are you free tonight?” His tone was formal. She unconsciously sat up straighter. 

“… Sure.” 

“I have some business with the police regarding your assailants from earlier this month, I was hoping you could meet me at the police station. Can you meet me there?” 

“Of course. I’ll be there in half an hour.” She hung up the phone and immediately stepped out to her car. She wondered what business Eric had with the police, and especially why he wanted her there. She hadn’t heard anything anymore regarding the investigation and assumed that it had fizzled out. After all, Eric hadn’t mentioned anything further and he had promised to talk to her about these thing, and perhaps against her better judgement, she trusted him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, bad news: this is as far as I've written the story. I'm working on the next chapter but it's a struggle. Also, RL is kicking my ass. Conclusion: I can't promise when the next chapter will be up. But, I will post it, sometime in the future, never fear!


	11. Chapter 11

When she arrived at the station, she saw that one of the vampires in suits that had been with Nan Flanagan in Fangtasia standing outside the door. That could only mean than Nan Flanagan was also here, and thus that the AVL was involved. Secretly, she was relieved: it probably meant nobody had been hurt in this whole situation, and that things were handled ‘by the book’, as Eric had put it all those weeks ago. 

When she stepped in, officer Jenkins was waiting in the lobby. He took one look at the scarf on her neck and scowled. She blushed but had no intention to correct the assumption he had obviously made. She did not think he would find the hickies that much of an improvement from bite-marks, and also it was none of his business who was or was not sucking her neck in one way or the other. 

“Ms. Beckendale. Please follow me.” Officer Jenkins spoke. His words were polite, even if his eyes were hard. Once they were walking down the hall, he spoke up. “Regarding your case, there has not been much progress. The charges against Mr. Northman were dropped, as from the video evidence it showed he was defending you.” 

While his words were still polite, Keira could see on his face he did not agree with this ruling at all. 

“Thank you for telling me. But I am afraid I don’t follow. If there are no charges pressed, why am I here?” 

Jenkins’ face turned downright ugly. “Apparently your ‘friend’ and his associates think they can do our job better than we can. It is concerning the charges you pressed against your assailants.”

“Wait, what? I never meant to proceed with that!” Keira exclaimed. 

“Well you should have let us know, your lawyers are having a field day.” Jenkins spoke bitterly. 

Before she could inquire what lawyers he was talking about, they had reached the end of the hallway and stepped into a middle-sized meeting room. Officer Jenkins went to sit on the left side of the table, where Keira also recognised detective Richards. Next to them sat a man in a wrinkly suit, clearly uncomfortable. On the right side of the table sat Nan Flanagan, Pam, Eric, and two men and a woman in very expensive suits. Eric rose when she walked, and was beside her in a flash. He hovered his arm on the small of her back to escort her to the seat next to his. 

Once Keira was seated, the woman in the expensive suit spoke up. “Now that my client has arrived, we can begin. Deputy Chief Hailey, your men were in charge of keeping order during the protest. Yet two of the protesters broke through and assaulted my client. Now we don’t want to press charges against your department for negligence, but if you do not release the names of the men responsible so we can bring them to justice, we will.”

The man in the expensive suit took over. “Especially since you were not so hesitant to release the name of our client to her attackers, who confronted her not two days later! This will look very poorly for you in court, Deputy Chief. Our client, a human woman of slight built and with no track record of violence or any other criminal past, thrown to the lions because your officers thought it would harm a vampire in your jurisdiction!” 

Deputy Chief Hailey was sweating in his cheap suit. Keira could not blame him. “Yes, ma’am, we understand. However, given the, ah… history between your other client Mr. Northman and the Fellowship, adding to that the claims he had made against my officer of Ms. Beckendale being under his protection, we felt the safety of the men who assaulted her would be at risk if we did not fully disclose all the facts to them.” 

Eric spoke up, anger written all over his face. “And yet you did not think about Ms. Beckendale’s safety. Let me be perfectly clear: her safety is paramount to me. I do not care about the lives of some petty men too prejudiced to accept the world around them. I don’t now and I never have. So I will ask for the last time: give us their names or I will find them myself. And trust me when I say that is not an alternative you will like.”

Keira was sitting silently in her chair, listening with ever growing horror to the conversation going on around her. What was Eric thinking? He practically admitted to three police officers he was going to commit murder. Again, apparently, if his words were read in a certain light. Ignoring the rest of the conversation that continued around her, her mind wandered back to all the conversations and interactions she had had with Eric. In none of them had he ever displayed anything else than perfect emotional and physical control. Apart from the time he wanted her to drink his blood, he had never threatened her. And even then, all he did was offer something which many others would gladly take. 

So the question remained: did she know Eric Northman at all? Was he the man she was rapidly falling for, attentive and chivalrous, or was he the man she deep down feared he might be and of whom she had seen glimpses, mainly through the eyes of others? And if he was, what kind of position did she put herself in? Was she as safe with him as she had wanted to believe? And what if he found out the truth about her? That she was not in this for selfless reasons, to help him protect everything he loved? What would he think of her then? What would he do?

Suddenly she was very aware of Eric sitting next to her, watching her. She had so many questions, questions to which she was not sure she would like the answer. 

The lawyer was talking again, doing her best to mitigate Eric’s harsh words. “If you don’t want us pressing charges against you, Deputy Chief, I suggest you give us the names.”

Despite his sweatiness, Deputy Chief Hailey stood his ground. “I cannot do that. What I can do, is ensure your client’s safety. If you want, I can arrange for police protection for Miss Beckendale.” 

“No, I do not want the police monitoring my every move!” Keira exclaimed, before the lawyer or Eric had time to react.

“Keira, please consider this.” To Keira’s surprise, Nan addressed her directly and by her given name. “It could be dangerous if anybody were to attack you.” Dangerous for whom, she didn’t specify. 

“That’s why I’ve arranged for private security for now, Nan.” Eric intervened smoothly. 

“Actually,” the male lawyer spoke up, “official police protection would have… legal benefits private security does not have.” It didn’t take much legal knowledge to understand what he meant – if they were required to shoot someone, the risk of blowback on Eric, Nan or the AVL would be much lower than when her 'private security' needed to take action. 

“They would be stationed outside your door, ma’am.” The Deputy Chief addressed her for the first time, clearly feeling that this was an out for him without being responsible for further bloodshed, which would occur if he gave up the names. 

Keira sighed. Even though he wasn’t responsible for his actions, Eric had already hurt people on her behalf – if she could prevent that, she felt she should. “Alright. If that puts an end to this drama.” 

“Excellent,” the Deputy Chief spoke. “Officer Jenkins will escort you home and take first shift tonight. We will arrange further details tomorrow and inform you at once.”

Keira nodded and turned to Eric. “Come to my apartment,” she said softly, leaning in close so only he could hear. She ignored the looks from the other people in the room – the lawyers exchanging knowing looks, Pam’s smirk, officer Jenkins’ annoyance, detective Richards indifference, and the Deputy Chiefs increased facial sweat.

Eric’s attention was completely focussed on her as well. “I’ll be waiting,” he murmured. True to his word, when a brooding officer Jenkins – who barely spoke two words to her during the ride over – had dropped her off at her front door, Eric was waiting by the elevator doors. 

He said nothing, which Keira was glad for. She just didn’t know how to feel – on the one hand, she was still reeling from her realisations back at the station. Also, after the phone call from the hospital, she felt keyed up in an unpleasant sense, as happened each time her appointments neared. 

On the other hand, Eric was walking over to her, his eyes stuck on her lips and she wanted to climb that man like a tree. 

When he stood in front of her however, rather than the previous passionate kisses she was used to, he placed a tender kiss on her lips. He pulled back slightly, and embraced her. Keira had expected much – but not this. Suddenly, all her questions from earlier seemed to have been answered. She could not disregard the feeling of safety, of comfort, being held in his strong arms. It made her feel like all her worries were soothed – no matter what happened, it would be okay. Eric would make sure of it. 

She felt tears prick up in her eyes, but blinked them away furiously. This was not the time. She had to be angry with Eric for going behind her back and arranging a lawsuit on her behalf. She had to yell at him for teaming up with Nan Flanagan and the police and basically strong arming her into accepting a police officer stationing himself at her door. But, as she leaned into the hug, she just couldn’t find the mental fortitude to get worked up enough. 

She just wanted to be hugged and not emerge until all this had been resolved. She was done trying to keep all the balls in the air herself – perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to rely on others for a while. Especially when they so willingly offered their help. Insisted on it, even. So, she would just let herself be supported for a little while. Just a little while…

Eric moved them to the couch, never letting her go. His hand was softly stroking her hair and his lips on her forehead. Laying there, he spoke quiet reassurances she only half picked up as her eyes grew heavier and heavier. “I’ll keep you safe, Keira. I promise everything will be fine. No one will hurt you. Jag… Jag älskar dig…” 

Keira woke up the next morning in her own bed, feeling much more relaxed and at ease after a night’s good rest. Her shoes were placed by the bedroom door, and she was still in yesterday’s clothes. Eric must have moved her to the bedroom after she’d fallen asleep. Last thing she remembered, they were laying on the couch, the close comfort exactly what she’d needed.

Everything would be fine. She and Eric would be fine. She just had to believe that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, an update! Please leave a comment, I'm so curious to hear what you think!


End file.
